Always Incomplete
by gunnerfunction
Summary: It took three years for Jack to embrace new friends and a new love after his passion for a case puts his life in danger and he is given a new identity. Emotions run high as he is forced back to DC after new evidence about his attempted killer surfaces.
1. Prologue Birthday Boy

** Disclaimer**: I don't own Sue Thomas F.B.Eye or any of its characters. This FanFiction is based on the plotline and original characters created by David Johnson and Co. and credit must be given where credit is due. I do own the original characters so don't steal them although I don't see any reason why you would want to.  
** Author's Not**e: Second STFBE Fanfic, first one posted here. Feedback is more than welcome.  
Prologue – Birthday Boy 

The clock blinked 6:26 as Trevor Tomlin pulled on his black leather jacket, getting ready to go out for a birthday celebration his friends were throwing him. He looked in the mirror to make sure he would look presentable for a fun night out on the town.

This was the one birthday party he was going to have in awhile that he was actually halfway excited about. He found it hard to become enthusiastic about anything since he moved to Hartbridge. Mostly because the move was something he didn't want. Hartbridge was a small suburb outside of Boston and significantly quieter and slower than his former home of Washington D.C. Then again, that was kind of the point of the move, to lead a more mediocre life that was below the radar and wouldn't attract any attention.

He stared at his reflection for a moment and let out an audible sigh. A figure with dark brown hair and deep brown eyes stared back at him expectantly. He really shouldn't be celebrating today. It wasn't really his birthday. His real birthday was in the winter and celebrating it in the summer just felt awkward to him. At the same time he was getting used to it, it had been a long time since he allowed himself to have some fun.

_Jack Hudson's birthday was in December. Trevor Tomlin's birthday is in June. _He wasn't Jack Hudson anymore; he had to remember that. It's been three years since he was Jack Hudson and he thought he would have gotten used to that fact by now. But he couldn't ever, not really. He was Jack Hudson for thirty-some odd years of his life and because of one incident, one night; he was forced to change his identity and history. The worst part was being ripped away from them. Away from a job he loved, away from his co-workers who had become his family…and away from her.

Goodness, he wanted to be able to say goodbye to her. He saw her face every night, the look of horror and fear she held when he fell to the ground from the gunshot and his heart broke at the thought that he was the one who caused her such pain. All he wanted to do was somehow tell her that he was okay if it would ease some of the hurt she was feeling. But then again maybe that was giving him too much credit. It had already been three years and Sue Thomas was a strong woman. He always had a nagging feeling that she meant more to him than him to her. As long as he stayed in the same unit as her there was no way he could act on his feelings anyways and maybe this was all for the best. Being physically distant away from her would have helped calm that pull he always felt inside of him whenever she was around.

He hadn't thought about her as much lately. Her face still haunted him before he went to sleep but that nagging and heartbreak he initially felt had found a way to slowly fade. Maybe this was the best thing that's ever happened to him.

"Hey, birthday boy! Come on, the drinks are a-waiting" He heard a voice call from outside.

He peered outside the window and let a small smile form across his face. "Ever heard of a doorbell, Steve?"

"Yeah yeah yeah, you'd be too busy putting on your makeup to answer the door. Come on!"

Trevor smiled and exited his small town home and was greeted by a chorus of Happy Birthdays from his friends. He smiled even wider and for the first time in a long time, it came from the bottom of his heart.


	2. Chapter 1 Where I Begin

**Chapter One – Where I Begin**

"Good news everyone," Dimitrius Ganz assembled the members of the F.B.I surveillance unit around the white board where they outlined the latest case they were working on. "We've managed to locate Boon's girlfriend, Patsy. Looks like she used a stolen credit card to check herself into the Casa Seven Motel last night."

"Casa Seven, very classy lady." Myles said in his usual dry wit.

"She was the last one to see Boon before he disappeared off the face of the Earth. If she's taking all these precautions to be on the down low I'd say she's either hiding from him or hiding from us. Either way she may be the only way to get to Boon." Eric Sugden, the latest edition to the unit explained.

"So we want to lean on her but not too much. Best we go in discreetly." Bobby observed.

"Patsy was with Boon for almost ten years. She stayed with him even through his lying and cheating. Do you really think it'll be that easy to get her to talk?" Sue asked.

"We ought to try anyway. If we twist her arm enough we might be able to get something out of her," Dimitrius explained. "Sue, Eric. Go in and try to see what you can get out of her."

As the group disbanded, Sue Thomas slipped on her jacket and walked to Bobby's desk before heading out of the bullpen with Eric.

"Bobby?" She said. "I tried to call you last night but there was no answer. Where were you?"  
"Aw, sorry I had an early night in. Did you want to talk about something?"

"Well…some of us were going to go see Jack's grave tonight. Bring some fresh flowers. Are you going to come?"

Bobby's heart fell to the pit of his stomach and hoped that his discomfort wasn't visible on his face. He had tried to avoid going to his grave for nearly three years and he was running out of excuses. "Aw…uh…I don't know girl."

"Oh…well. I know it's hard for everyone. And since you and Jack were so close, I just thought it'd be easier if we all went together for you. But if you don't want to—"

Bobby smiled tightly. "It's okay. Thanks…for telling me."

Sue gave him a parting smile and headed out with Eric to talk to their witness. Bobby watched her disappear through the door, her hearing dog Levi following obediently behind. He reluctantly went back to his work but found it hard to concentrate, sincerely hoping his conflicting feelings weren't registered on his face. For a moment he hated Jack Hudson for so many different reasons. He hated Jack for being a man of his word, for being so determined for justice that he risked his own life. He hated Jack for being a man of his word, for promising her that they would find out who did this to her and her family. He hated her for making him promise.

Bobby stopped himself right then and chided himself. She was just a kid. She died in his arms due to a ruthless and pointless act of violence. Jack only did what any honourable man would do. But Bobby still hated him, hated him and loved him at the same time for making him the only one who knew the truth that he was still alive.

In his mind, anybody would have been better than himself, anybody. Bobby was often criticized for allowing his emotions to get in the way and this was no exception. Jack was in love with Sue, everybody could see it. Why couldn't he have told her? Given her the proper goodbye and peace of mind that she deserved from a man who claimed to love her.

"Bobby, I have the report you wanted." Tara's voice brought him back down to reality.

"What? Sorry mate, I was kind of…" Bobby trailed off, not sure how to finish his sentence. He cleared his throat and forced a smile onto his face. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually…I just did something for you. The report on Boon's estate finances?" Tara said showing him a folder.

"Oh yeah…thanks." He said and took the folder from her.

"You okay? You seem kind of…not fully here." Tara asked with concern.

Bobby drew in a deep breath and shrugged. "Nothing to worry about."

Tara looked at him with doubt and then nodded, and moved to head back to her desk. Bobby cleared his throat and plucked up his courage. "You guys are going to see Jack today?"

Tara stopped in her tracks and turned around nodding. "Yeah. In the afternoon for a little while."

"It doesn't really…feel like he's gone…you know?" He said hesitantly.

Tara looked at him sympathetically. "He did have quite the presence. I guess working here…it just gives you constant reminders of him. Not to mention Eric is…similar to him in many ways," Tara paused and smiled sadly. "I keep thinking he's going to waltz in one day and pronounce it some big elaborate practical joke."

"You never know." Bobby replied without a second thought.

Tara glanced at him worriedly. "Come on, back to work Agent Manning."

Jack placed an ice pack to the cut right above his eye and cringed a little from the contact. The bleeding had already stopped, thankfully but it did leave a right mess in Steve's car and all over his favourite hockey jersey. Steve handed the clipboard with the information forms to a nurse and sat back down next to him.

"Once again, Trev. Really, really sorry." Steve apologized profusely.

"No worries Steve. My own fault for not wearing a helmet when slapping sticks with you. You'd think I'd know better by now." He replied.

"It doesn't look too bad. You're not going to get brain damage are you?" Steve asked with worry.

Jack laughed. "Well who knows, maybe it'll make me a little bit smarter if I do."

A young intern approached Steve and Jack and Steve stood up immediately. "Sylv, I can totally explain."

"You have a crush on me and you're always looking for excuses to see me at work?" The female intern said with a serious face.

"Yeah, just don't let the wife know. Kristen…she gets a little rough when she gets jealous."

"Oh yeah? Is that where you get it from?" She said looking through Jack's papers. "Now what did I tell you before Steve. You're a big guy…you hurt people sometimes, even when you don't intend it," She turned to Jack. "And you. You're a brave man for playing hockey with this guy…without a helmet even." She said as she looked through the rest of the form.

"I plead insanity," Jack said. "Although with the gash on my head it'll probably be reality."

"Well come on then, I'll see if there's any part of your brain I can save," She said. "Be strong." She said mockingly.

"You're in good hands, Trev. I've got to go pick up the kids from gymnastics so uh—"

"I'll be fine, Steve. You've done more than enough." Jack said with a good-natured smile and Steve went ahead on his way.

Jack followed the young intern into an exam room and propped himself onto the examination table. He gave her the icepack and she examined his wound carefully.

"This doesn't look too bad. I'll have to put in some stitches so it doesn't get infected. You're not allergic to…thread are you?" She asked.

"Not that I recall." He replied.

"Well, good. Because this one time I had to put this band-aid on this patient who cut herself on glass. She was allergic to the bandage and ended up with a rather attractive square on her arm." She said.

Jack let out a genuine laugh. "I think I'm okay with the thread. I'm just worried about having to look like Frankenstein for the next couple of weeks."

"A very handsome Frankenstein at least," She replied. Jack looked at her and smiled a little. "I'll make sure to do a good sewing job." She assured him and handed him a lollipop from the drawer. "Just for good measure." She said with a grin and placed her hands gently on Jack's forehead to begin the stitching.

"So am I allowed to speak or do you need silence for concentration so you don't take out my eye or anything." Jack asked.

"Speaking is permitted, eye injuries are not not- guaranteed." She joked.

"So…you've known Steve for awhile huh?" He asked.

"Only for about a year. I only moved here when I started my residency here a year ago. I seem to have a habit of treating his casualties though. There should be some sort of frequent fliers card for him. What about you?"

"I play hockey with him. My name is…" he hesitated a little bit. "Trevor…Trevor Tomlin."

"Sylvia Shaun," The young intern introduced herself.

"You've only been here a year? Why of all the places you could do your residency at did you choose the beauty and excitement that is Hartbridge general?" Jack asked.

"I don't know," Sylvia answered with a smile. "I think it's something about the fact that you can walk around the whole township in half an hour or the quirky festivals we have around here. My favourite is…oh what's that one called. The 'Ode to Polka Dots Day', I mean who can resist." She said with a completely straight face as she completed the stitches.

"Hey, don't laugh. Some say the polka dots originated in Hartbridge." Jack answered.

Sylvia laughed and started filling out some patient forms. "Well, in all seriousness I liked the change of pace. The school I went to was all about competition and living life in the fast lane while stepping on everyone you possibly can to get your way. I mean…they weren't all like. I made some great friends, but a change of scenery is nice once in awhile." She explained as she handed Jack some forms to sign. They exited the exam room and out to the reception area, standing side by side as they talked.

"I used to think that. I've only moved all of twice in my life and at my last home I got really comfortable. The thought of leaving pretty much tore me apart. I mean you start to miss your friends…your family…your old carpeting even." Jack replied.

"Well, are you glad you moved here? It sounds like you're quite fond of Hartbridge." Sylvia asked.

"At first I wasn't, but…once you start to find your groove you really come to love environment, the locals, the people."

"Even the ones that chuck you in the head with hockey pucks?" Sylvia said with a smile.

"Especially the ones that chuck you in the head with hockey pucks." Jack responded with a laugh.

Sylvia handed Jack a slip of paper. "Well, if it's as great as you say don't be surprised if you see me here again in two weeks."

Jack took the slip of paper where his next appointment was written on it. "Will I get a lollipop next time too?"

"You get a lollipop AND your stitches taken out. So try not to skip town between now and then okay?" She said and patted him on the head before she went to see her next patient.

Jack smiled at the young woman and smiled. "Bye." He said softly and gave her one last glance before heading out of the hospital. He was _really_ beginning to like it in Hartbridge.


	3. Chapter 2 Benefit of the Doubt

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, thanks for the reviews and I hope this is good enough for yous guys lol. I'm pretty upset the show got cancelled too, hopefully I'm doing it some justice. Anyways just to clarify cause I know it's confusing, Jack is still Jack but to his friends in Hartbridge they call him Trevor…I know it can get confusing so I've switched to referring to Jack as still Jack but his friends calling him another name. I know these chapters are long and the story's pretty slow moving but please be patient, I promise I'll try to make it exciting! Thanks again for the reviews and hopefully you'll keep them coming as you keep reading!

** Chapter 2** – Benefit of the Doubt

Sue and Eric stood in the lobby of the dilapidated Casa Seven motel as the light above them flickered its very last few breaths of life. The air in there was stuffy and they were becoming increasingly impatient with the receptionist.

"Her name is Patsy Goss. She would have checked in with a false credit card under the name Maria Shand." Eric explained patiently, showing the receptionist a picture.

"I'm expected to remember? Do you know how many waifs that look exactly like her come through here everyday?" The receptionist spit back.

"Yes, I see business is clearly booming." Eric remarked sarcastically, looking over the poorly furnished motel.

"Look, we don't want to get you into trouble. Just tell us which room she's staying in and we'll keep you out of our investigation." Sue said patiently.

The receptionist looked at Sue and let out a sigh as he went over to his login book and flipped through a couple of pages. "I remember her yeah. We usually get cashers around here, they throw the bills in my face and I forget they ever existed. I wasn't even sure if the credit card machine was even going to work it's been so long since we used it," He explained. "Maria Shand room 149."

"Lead the way kind sir." Eric said and motioned for the receptionist to lead them to the room.

The receptionist knocked on the door nervously. "Yes?" A woman's voice from inside replied.

"Ms. Shand? It's the receptionist…uhm…I think there's something uh…wrong with your credit card." He stammered.

"What?" The voice asked incredulously.

"Could you come down and take care of it? We'll need to sort it out…right away." He said.

There was a pause from within and some shuffling for a couple of minutes before the door opened and a short, thin woman with messy brown hair opened the door. "Who the heck are they?" she asked impatiently.

Sue and Eric flashed her their badges. "FBI…we need to ask you a few questions Ms. Goss." Sue explained.

Patsy looked at the two agents before attempting to bolt past them. Eric grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back as gently as he could. "Where are you going, Patsy? We were just getting acquainted." He said and led her back into the room.

They shut the door to Patsy's motel room and she paced around the room impatiently. "What the hell do you guys want?"

"I think you know, otherwise you wouldn't have tried to bolt." Eric said.

Patsy sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through her coarse hair. "You want to know about Dylan."

"You were the last person we know that had contact with Dylan Boon. We need to find him." Sue explained.

Patsy took in a deep breath. "I can't…I can't tell you."

"Boon was directly responsible for a slave-trading ring headed up by one of the most dangerous Triads in the country. He bought and sold people, Patsy, not to mention he killed almost a hundred people from the explosion at the Lotus Club." Eric replied.

"That's got nothing to do with me." She said, tears forming in her eyes.

"Look, I know you're scared, Patsy. But if you help us we promise we'll protect you." Sue said softly.

Patsy took in a deep breath and buried her head into her hands. Eric eyed the bruises on her arms suspiciously. "Did he do that to you?"

Patsy looked at her bruises and nodded slowly. "He always used to. He got really angry one time and broke a vase over my head. I was in the hospital for days."

"If you help us find him we'll make sure he's punished for what he did to you. And that he doesn't do it to anybody else." Sue said.

Patsy plucked up her courage and breathed in slowly. "Boon…contacted me four days ago. He was very angry. He said that…people were beginning to suspect him of the explosion at Lotus and that if he finds out I was the one responsible, I was going to pay for it."

"How do you know for sure he was the one who did it?" Eric asked.

"I used to work there…a long time ago as a dancer. The Lotus…it's also a front for the Qus, a rival triad. They used me to get information." She said, her voice shaking.

"Where did you guys have this conversation?" Sue asked.

"At this warehouse on Barton Street," she wiped away her tears and looked up to Sue and Eric. "Please, you can't tell him I told you anything, if he finds out…if Sam finds out…they'll kill me." She pleaded.

"Sam? As in Sam Long." Eric confirmed.

"Who's Sam Long?" Sue asked.

"The leader of the Shens…the triad Boon worked for," Eric explained and turned back to Patsy. "Sam and Boon must have been really close for him to trust Boon with such heavy operations."

"Are you kidding me? Boon was practically his right hand man. His own son…they've been working together since he was only 10." Patsy scoffed.

Eric looked at Sue thoughtfully, the wheels turning in full force in his head. He stood up and ushered Sue out of the door. "Thank you, Patsy. We'll be in touch."

As they headed out of the motel Sue looked to Eric with concern. "Are we just going to leave her in there? What if Sam or Boon comes after her?"

"There's something not right here. I don't know what it is…I just don't really trust her." Eric explained.

"Those bruises looked real to me." Sue countered.

"Maybe…but if she really was that desperate to disappear out of fear for her life why would she risk leaving a paper trail by using a credit card? Why not just pay cash?" Eric asked.

"According to Boon's financials she withdrew half a million dollars from an off-shore account the day she disappeared." Sue said thoughtfully.

As Eric was about to answer her, his cell phone rang. "Sugden."

Lucy was on the other end of the line, her voice worried. "Eric…I just got a call from the police department. A body was found in the alley of the Lotus nightclub."

Eric's face fell. "Who was it?"

Lucy let out a deep sigh. "Dylan Boon."

* * *

Jack stood behind the counter at the City Star Bank and smiled when he saw Kristen, Steve's wife approach the counter.

"And what can I help you with today Mrs. Cameron?" He greeted her with a smile.

"Just a simple transfer for me today, Mr. Tomlin," She answered. "I see you got your stitches out, how does it feel?"

Jack shrugged. "It's like it's not there, although I am left with a rather attractive looking scar." He explained indicating to his brow line.

"You can barely notice it." Kristen assured him.

"So yeah…I went to get them taken out yesterday but I didn't see what's her name there…Sylvia?" Jack said as he processed her order.

"Oh yeah, Steve told me that she was the one who stitched you up. I think she gets Wednesday afternoons off." Kristen said.

"I heard you guys were pretty close?" Jack said handing Kristen her receipt.

Kristen smiled mischievously. "Well we've only known her for about a year but she's like a little sister to me." She took the receipt from him and paused. "Trevor, you know how Steve and I always throw a dinner party in the summer? Well, how would you like to come to it this year?"

Jack looked a little surprised. "Oh, that's really kind of you but isn't that bash usually for couples?"

"Oh yes, usually. But this year Steve and I decided to do something a little different. We felt like we were…neglecting our single friends a little bit." Kristen explained.

Jack took in a deep breath and smiled a little. "Sure, why not I guess. Do I have to uh…bring anything?"

"Just that handsome face of yours!" Kristen said enthusiastically. "Tomorrow at 7:00, okay?"

* * *

"Trevor! You made it!" Kristen exclaimed excitedly and gave him a hug. 

"Well you made a hard sell." Jack said and greeted Steve with a handshake.

"Trevor! Looking good, you can barely notice it." Steve replied referring to his scar.

"That's what I've been told." Jack said with a smile.

"There are drinks in the kitchen if you'd like to help yourself to one and dinner should begin shortly. Have a drink! Enjoy yourself!" Kristen said before bouncing off to the kitchen.

"Hey, Trev! Didn't think you'd make it!" A young man in the living room called to him.

Jack entered the living room and smiled. "How could I resist, Andrew? I hear Kristen makes a mean lamb chop."

Another man handed him a drink and laughed. "I don't think that's the only thing she's cooking tonight."

"What does that mean?" Jack said all of a sudden freaked out.

"Derek! You're not supposed to say anything." Derek's wife, Amy chided him.

"Listen, you didn't hear it from me, but asides from you there's only one person who's not paired off tonight." Derek explained.

"She did not." Jack cried.

"She did. Kristen's always been a crafty one." Amy said.

"I feel like a piece of meat ready to be auctioned off and so…so…used." Jack joked.

"Well hey, at least you're not the lamb chop." Andrew said punching him playfully in the arm.

"Man, I should have suspected this." Jack said laughing.

"Well, man, that's why you're a banker and not a detective." Derek responded.

Jack smiled tightly to himself. "Yeah, I guess not. Anybody else want a refresher?" He offered and stood up and walked to the kitchen.

As he walked towards the kitchen he greeted some other of his friends along the way. As he was distracted talking to some of his friends he accidentally knocked into someone who happened to be holding a couple of plates in her hands. Before the plates went crashing to the ground Jack reacted as quickly as he could and reached for them.

"Nice reflexes." She replied.

Jack handed the plates back to Sylvia and smiled. "Good thing the person putting in my stitches didn't take out my eye."

Sylvia smiled brightly. "Oh yeah, hi...Steve's friend." she said. "I didn't recognize you without my beautiful sewing job."

"Yeah I think my forehead's feeling a little lonely without it." He joked.

Sylvia let out a small laugh. "Sorry…it's Trevor right?"

"Trevor Tomlin." Jack said reaching out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, again." Sylvia said somewhat embarrassed. "Gosh I'm sorry I'm awful with names and I guess you don't really look like a Trevor to me or anything."

_You have no idea. _"Oh yeah, what do I look like then?"

"Hmm…" Sylvia said thoughtfully. "I see you with an all-American mid-western name like…John or Chris or Jack or…something," She said chuckling. "Yeah I sound silly I know."

Jack smiled a genuine smile at her. "Well, tell you what. Since I don't look like a Trevor and I don't want to make you struggle every time you see me to remember my name, I'll be more than happy to let you call me Jack. Or John…or Chris…or whatever." He offered.

Sylvia smiled demurely. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

"CSU puts the time of death at around 7:00 a.m. yesterday morning. There was a lack of blood spatter in the alley so we're guessing he might have been killed somewhere else and placed there afterwards." Bobby explained. 

"What about the ballistics report? Has that come in yet?" D asked.

Tara shook her head. "Apparently the lab is incredibly backed up so it might be a couple of days."

"Boon was also found with this around his neck," Eric explained holding up an evidence bag, inside a silver chain with a flower pendant and blue and white jewels in it. "From the autopsy report, this was placed around his neck. It was tight enough to choke him but it was placed there after he already died." Eric explained further.

"That seems a little odd." Lucy mused.

"It also reads personal." Bobby said.

"If the diamonds were real we might be able to trace the serial number back to the store." Sue said.

"It does have a number…it also has an inscription at the back…initials I believe. TSW." Myles said reading from the report.

"Thomas Shyler-Weaks," Myles exclaimed. "He's a very exclusive jewelry dealer downtown. Apparently you need a membership to even get into the store."

"Well, that seems a little unnecessarily snobby." Sue commented.

"It's just a way to weed out the less cultured and less privileged. His pieces are always one of a kind and out of the price range of most common folk." Myles replied haughtily.

"And I suppose you're a frequent customer there then, Myles?" Lucy said rolling her eyes.

"While I am an admirer of fine jewelry I can't say that I'm a fan of spending money on something that doesn't serve much of a function except to look pretty." Myles answered.

Eric smirked and rolled his eyes. "Bobby, Sue, why don't you guys contact this Shyler-Weaks and see if he recognizes this piece and maybe tell us who owns it."

* * *

Sue and Bobby entered the jewelry store after a couple of minutes waiting outside its iron gates. A finely dressed security guard allowed them to enter after some initial hesitation and Sue felt like an intruder as soon as she entered the store. The assortment of diamonds and other forms of jewelry gleamed in their display cases and were accentuated by the many spotlights that bathed them in soft, angelic light. Finely dressed couples and purveyors milled around cautiously as store clerks impressed them with their vast knowledge. 

"I feel like I'm depreciating the jewelry just standing here." Bobby whispered to Sue.

"I hope he won't make us pay for it." Sue teased.

An elderly man with a gray beard and glasses dressed in a fine tailored suit approached them and extended his hand towards them. "Sorry to keep the fine soldiers of the law waiting," he said with a bit of a British accent. "My name is Thomas Shyler-Weaks and I am at your disposal."

"We were wondering if you could help us identify a piece you made." Sue explained, handing him a picture of the silver pendant.

Thomas looked at the picture for only a moment and his eyes lit up immediately. "Oh yes! I remember this piece quite vividly. I made it for a young man who was a frequent customer of mine."

"Dylan Boon?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, that's right! A fine young man he was, with excellent taste in jewelry. Yes, this was meant to be a birthday gift and completely unique, the only one of its kind," Thomas explained. "Dylan came in with a young woman, cute as a bug she was and asked her to pick out as many diamonds in as many colours as she liked. He gave me careful directions on the design and the cut and had to be guaranteed that it was one of a kind and I was the only one to make it." Thomas remembers fondly.

"Was this the girl?" Bobby pulled out a picture of Patsy.

Thomas looked at it and shook his head. "Oh no! Not at all! This girl was a small Asian girl. Very pretty but hardly ever smiled," He let out a deep sigh. "It's been over ten years since I last saw them in here. She wore a school uniform…for Bracewood Academy I believe."

"Have they been in here together before?" Sue inquired.

"Oh yes, quite often. Dylan would often bring her in and buy all sorts of jewelry for her, whatever she wanted," Thomas smiled. "He took really good care of this girl and he wanted to spoil her, give her the entire world. But it seemed that she liked to keep things simple. She always chose very delicate and understated pieces."

"How did Dylan pay for all of these gifts anyways?" Bobby asked.

"Always with cash. I didn't ask for any details but he did once tell me he had a rich family." Thomas explained.

"Do you know what their relationship was?" Sue asked.

"Well…they certainly weren't related and I could tell there was a lot of love between them, there had to be. I'm not sure of specifics." Thomas said.

"Do you know her name by any chance?" Bobby said jotting down notes on his pad.

Thomas thought for a moment. "Hmmm…if I remember correctly, Dylan called her Sylvia."


	4. Chapter 3 Stranger than Fiction

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, two chapter update for you guys to entertain yourselves with. I just really want to thank all of the people who have been reading and have submitted reviews Esther, Sharon, Kate, Nikki, rimshawsgirl, Pikados, you guys make writing these fics an even more enjoyable experience. And for those of you who are wondering what's going to happen next, you're just going to have to stick around and find out! **  
**

**Chapter 3 – Stranger than Fiction**

"Where are we on locating this Sylvia person?" D asked the unit assembled in the bullpen.

"Well, according to hospital records, Sylvia was the middle name of Boon's mother. She passed away when Boon was just a baby though." Tara explained.

"The Sylvia we're looking for is supposed to be much younger than Boon though," Sue disputed. "Patsy knew about Boon's affairs, maybe she knew who this Sylvia person was."

"I doubt it was just a simple affair though," Bobby countered. "If it was I doubt Boon would be shelling out millions of dollars for her."

"I contacted Bracewood Academy about students from the last ten to fifteen years. Apparently there has only ever been seven Asian girls named Sylvia in that time." Lucy piped up.

"We should take over their pictures and yearbooks, see if Thomas could point her out for us." Eric said to Sue.

* * *

Kristen entered the community center skating rink where crowds of people were gathered for a fun-skate fundraiser Steve's company organized. She beamed and waved to Steve when she saw him and Jack at the other end, talking and lacing up their skates. The place was decorated with soft lots and balloons and had been transformed beautifully. Sylvia came into the community center slightly out of breath and caught up with Kristen. 

"Sorry, parking was kind of hard to find." She apologized.

"That's all right. You got your skates?" Kristen asked.

"Yup, I can't believe you convinced me to come." She asked.

"It didn't take a lot, all I had to do was mention Trevor was coming and you were practically demanding a list of places you could buy skates from. Plus, it's for Charity." Kristen teased.

"That is just a product of your overactive imagination." Sylvia countered.

"Oh come on, I see the two of you together whenever we hang out. You guys can't stop talking to one another."

"Well, we're just very good conversationalists." Sylvia countered.

Kristen rolled her eyes. "Well then get those talking points ready cause here they come."

Steve and Jack approached them and Steve gave his wife a kiss. He beamed as he looked around at the people assembled around. "Well, I guess there are still lots of die-hard fans out there who's willing to come out for the summer."

"Well, who can resist a little time with the ice?" Kristen beamed. She linked arms with Sylvia and dragged her off to put on their skates. After they were finished Kristen led Sylvia onto the ice. "Come on girl, show us what you got!" Kristen demanded.

Sylvia walked onto the ice tentatively. "Oh, this is not cool."

"Actually it's pretty cold if you ask me." Jack teased as he skated in front of her.

"You're a riot, Tomlin." She said to him with a straight face as she struggled to skate. A couple of kids racing on the rink sped by her, one of them knocking into her gently. Unfortunately Sylvia did not have the coordination and balance she expected and found herself about to fall onto the ice. Jack skated over and caught her before she collided with the ice.

"Careful there. I know you think you're something like Superwoman but I doubt you're immune from a couple of ice-induced bruises." Jack joked.

"Ah yes, something you know a thing or two about I reckon?" Sylvia countered.

"Hey! Be nice, I just saved you from a rather nasty fall." Jack replied. He stood in front of her and held Sylvia's hands as he skated backwards. "Come on, just one step at a time, it's simple."

"Easy for you to say, you're a seasoned veteran at this." Sylvia argued.

"Are you calling me old?" Jack mocked being offended. "If you prefer we can go back to falling, that seems pretty easy."

Sylvia looked up at Jack and smiled. "Actually, it's a lot harder than it looks."

* * *

"Hmm…no, that's not her…definitely not her either." Thomas said as he leafed through the pictures of the yearbook looking for the mysterious Sylvia. 

"Are you sure?" Sue asked somewhat discouraged.

Thomas nodded. "I could never forget that face. So young yet so…aged and weathered," he flipped a page over and then stopped. "Ah, yes that's her. That's got to be here, right there." She said pointing to a picture.

Eric looked at the picture and at the name underneath it. "Leanne Kida." He looked to Thomas. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely positive." Thomas nodded.

* * *

Excitement and adrenaline was in the air as Jack played hockey with his friends at the community center ice rink. This was one of the very few activities from his former life that he was still able to enjoy and he soaked up every single minute of it. He would never be able to forgive himself if he allowed his hockey skills to decrease over the years. His team cheered as he scored the winning goal for the game and they all rushed over to pile on him. 

"Ouch! Let's not forget I was hospitalized just last month!" Jack cried out from underneath.

His friends laughed and helped him off from the ice as they skated off to shake hands with the opposing team.

"So, you and Sylvia have been hanging out a lot lately." Steve said to him.

Jack unlaced his skates and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. She's quite something." He said with a smile.

"So? Are you guys going out now or something?" Steve pressed.

Jack laughed. "I don't know. I guess it's possible."

"Possible! Jack, you either are or you aren't! What seems to be the problem?" Steve asked.

"I don't know. It's just…well complicated. I mean…she is younger than I am and we've only known each other a couple of months—"

"Number one, she's already 27. Number two, here's your chance _to_ know her better." Steve reasoned.

"All right, all right." Jack laughed. "You're a lot more passionate about this than I am."

Steve frowned. "You're a pal, Trev. I mean how old are you? I mean you don't look that old, I'm just saying. You know…you've been single for awhile and…we just want to see you happy that's all."

"I know…it's just. I don't know if I'm ready exactly." Jack said honestly.

"Well I mean what's the harm in getting a cup of coffee right? Worst case scenario is that you just end up adding another friend to your endless list." Steve teased.

Jack raised a brow and laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

"Leanne Kida, what can you tell us about her?" Bobby demanded from Patsy.

Patsy sat in the FBI interrogation room, her hands clutching her face. "That little bitch. Just hearing the name makes my blood boil."

"She was just a kid Patsy, why all the hate towards her huh?" Myles asked.

"We were all just kids back then," Patsy spat back. "I knew something was going on between them. Even though she was ten years younger than he was that didn't seem to stop him."

"He bought her gifts…rather expensive ones," Myles said showing her a picture of the necklace. "Why would she decide to disappear all of a sudden?"

Patsy scoffed. "Because she's just as afraid of Sam as I am. At least we have that in common."

"What did she do?"

"She betrayed the Shens. She was always so morally opposed to what they were doing, ranting on and on about how it was tearing her apart and how all she wanted to do was help people. She wanted to go to medical school but Sam wouldn't let her. So, she went anyway. She stole money from Sam and Boon and ran off. It pissed Sam off to no ends and they blamed me for it."

"Why did they blame you?" Bobby asked.

"Because I was supposed to watch her. When she first came in she was placed under my care." Patsy said with contempt.

"When she left…that must have torn Boon up quite a bit." Myles stated.

"He was broken up. He had this sick obsession with her, even called her by his mom's middle name. And he blamed me for her leaving. For her betrayal." Patsy said.

"Boon is dead…we found her necklace around him." Bobby explained.

"That wouldn't surprise me. She's always been a weird one."

"Is she capable of murder?" Myles asked.

"Well…that little bitch is capable of anything now isn't she?"

"But…why in the world if she was opposed to being in the Triads would she hire someone to murder someone who took care of her?" Bobby asked suspiciously.

Patsy stopped herself and looked around nervously. She sighed. "Fine…before she left she wanted Boon to go with her. But Boon had too much loyalty to Sam so…he said no and he said that he was going to get back together with me. She went berserk and trashed our apartment," she took in breath. "And he didn't love her. She was just a nice piece of ass for him."

Bobby and Myles left the interrogation room and joined D at the other side of the glass. "Well, do we believe her?"

"I've always been reluctant to take the word of a jealous girlfriend," Myles said. "But I don't see how it couldn't be plausible."

"You think after ten years she would still have enough resentment towards Boon to hire someone to kill him?" D asked.

"Or it might be an act of vigilantism. She was wrought with guilt over the crimes Boon and the Shens committed that she felt the need to lash back." Bobby suggested.

"Two wrongs don't make a right. Well, either way I want to hear it straight from the horses' mouth. Tara did some digging and she might have found Leanne."

"Where is she?"

"In Hartbridge," D said handing them a file. "She's a medical intern under the name of Sylvia Shaun."

Bobby looked up in surprise at the name. Hartbridge. He was sure that's where Jack was. Before he could give the issue more thought Tara stepped in.

"Guys…the ballistics report is ready."

* * *

"It was a professional hit from the looks of it." Tara explained to the others as she looked over the ballistics report. 

The ballistics expert stepped forward, holding a manila folder. "I ran the bullet through the system. It was shaved at the side leaving a very noticeable pattern. Perhaps, the Hit-man's trademark."

"Any matches in the database?" D inquired.

"Only one…an open case from a couple of years ago." He answered somewhat reluctantly.

"Who?" Myles asked.

The ballistics expert took in a deep breath and seemed hesitant. Sue looked at him with curiousity and concern. She reached out her hand for the folder in his hands and he reluctantly handed it over to her. She opened it and skimmed through the first page and her face visibly fell. Clearing her throat she looked to the others. "The murder of Special Agent Jack Hudson." She announced.


	5. Chapter 4 Act of Fate

**Author's Note: **Full Author's note can be found in the previous chapter Just a quick note before I start. I changed the rating because of language issues. That's it...carry on!**  
**

** Chapter 4 – Act of Fate**

Sue stood in the hall of the F.B.I federal building and looked at the names all lined up symmetrically on the wall. These were the names of the fallen brothers and sisters that have died in the service of duty. She stared intently at the one that she was most familiar with. One that she had memorized and agonized over. _Jack Hudson_.

"Jack…" she whispered to no one in particular.

Next to her, Levi whimpered and Sue smiled down at her constant companion. "I know…I miss him too. An unbelievable amount." She looked up as a figure approached her and forced herself to smile.

Eric stood next to her and looked at the names. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I guess. I mean…I always knew he was dead. I thought I had come to terms with it and that I'd be okay with living the rest of my life not knowing who killed him. But now…now it just seems more real. That somebody actually did this and it actually happened." Sue said tearily.

"He was a good agent. But wherever he is now I'm sure he's at peace…and he wouldn't want you to be so sad." Eric said softly.

Sue sniffed. "I know…I know. I hate this feeling inside of me, Eric. I hate the fact that I don't even know who did it and I already hate him and know there's no way I can bring myself to love him. I know God wants me to forgive but it's hard…it's so hard that he took him away from us…away from me." Sue sobbed.

Eric placed his hands comfortingly on her shoulders and looked at her. "We will bring him to justice, I promise. That's the only thing we can do…it might not be enough but I promise whoever did this will be punished. The rest we'll have to leave up to God."

Sue nodded and began to sob for all her heart's worth as Eric pulled her into a hug.

* * *

Sue and Eric entered back into the bullpen and Lucy approached her, giving her a hug. "Are you okay hon?" She asked with concern. 

Sue nodded. "I will be. I think we just need to focus on finding out who this guy is and bringing him to justice."

Lucy nodded and gave her friend another reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

D bustled into the office and gathered the crew around. "All right everybody, I know that this case has a certain personal level attached to it but it can't hinder our investigation. This is not a witch hunt or a vendetta, this is an open federal investigation. We have to continue pursuing leads on Boon's murder as well as Jack Hudson's murder. Find out whatever you can and that's all. Understood?" The group sat there tensely before acknowledging D's request. "Good, Bobby, can I see you for a minute?"

Bobby followed D out of the office and was escorted into the conference room where their supervisor and several other important figures sat expectantly. "Agent Manning, take a seat please."

Bobby looked at D curiously and then took a seat at the end of the table. The man at the other end cleared his throat and spoke up. "As I've come to understand, you guys have recently discovered a new revelation in the death of Agent Jack Hudson."

"That's right." Bobby answered.

"And it has also come to our understanding that before Jack was sent to Hartbridge that he made a request to allow only you to know about his whereabouts."

"Yes…that's correct."

"We've decided that to avoid any uncertain run-ins to send you to Hartbridge to talk to Sylvia Shaun." D explained.

"At the same time we must stress that you do not make any contact with Jack Hudson while you are there. His security is still very volatile and if anybody were to link the two of you together, we may have to relocate him once again." Somebody else replied.

"But this has to do with Jack now. The same assassin who killed Boon tried to kill Jack." Bobby protested.

"We'll walk down that road when we come to it," D said. "When we have enough evidence we'll charge the man but even then it would only be for attempted murder."

"If we can do so without Agent Hudson's testimony then that would be ideal. There's no need to unnecessarily risk his security." The supervisor explained.

"Do you understand these conditions, Agent Manning?"

Bobby took in a deep breath. "Yes, of course."

Bobby and D exited the conference room and D stopped him brashly. "What the hell did you think you were playing at?" he demanded.

"What are you talking about?"

"You knew he was alive." D retorted.

"What the hell do you think I could have done, D? This was Jack's life that was at risk." Bobby argued.

"How long were you planning on lying to us?" D asked.

Bobby sighed. "I don't know D. I might have snapped some day and just told everybody. And you know what? There hasn't been a day that's gone by where I haven't wished he hadn't told me so don't you start riding on your high horse just yet." Bobby spat back and walked off back to the bullpen.

* * *

Jack stood outside the café and for once in his life he was actually nervous. He had found his courage and called Sylvia to ask her out to coffee. He didn't know whether or not he was afraid that she would say no or that she would say yes. Things would have been a lot less complicated if she just said no and demanded he never speak to her again. But then again, he wouldn't have wanted that either. The truth was he didn't know if he was ready to date, if he was even over Sue yet. However, Jack Hudson was always the realistic type. He knew that there was no way he'd have any chance with Sue. Not now, not even when he was still Jack Hudson. 

"Hey!" Sylvia's voice brought him out of his trance and he didn't even have enough time to be nervous.

"Hey! You made it. Good." He laughed nervously.

Sylvia smiled. "Well, I was never one to refuse coffee." She beamed and they walked into the small café and placed their orders before sitting down by a cozy booth right by the window.

"So…uh listen Sylv, before we do anything I just thought I should be…honest with you." Jack stuttered.

"Sure…what's the matter?"

Jack cleared his throat. "Well…listen. It's not that I don't like you. I think you're an amazing woman and I don't even know why you even agreed to come have coffee with me today. And I think this friend thing is working out really well between us and maybe there's a chance for something more. It's just that…I don't really want to lead you on or give you any false expectations. The truth is I'm a train wreck when it comes to these types of things so I hope you're not expecting anything too…spectacular."

Sylvia smiled a small smile. "What was her name?"

Jack was caught off-guard. "Uh…what?"

"What was her name? The girl who made you into such a train wreck cause I'm guessing it's got to come from somewhere."

Jack smiled sadly and sighed. "Sue. Her name was Sue. She was a beautiful and amazing woman…completely independent and strong and from the moment I first talked to her I was caught in." He explained, somewhat surprised at his own honesty.

"So what happened then?"

Jack sighed. "We worked together and our company had a strict policy about these types of things so…we couldn't have any form of relationship. It was hard…being so close to her and seeing her go out with other people and not even being able to tell her what I feel. To this day I don't even think she knows," he looked up at Sylvia who merely smiled softly. "I'm sorry…this is probably not exactly the conversation you had in mind when you agreed to come today."

Sylvia shook her head. "No, I appreciate your honesty. It's best to be upfront at first instead of tip-toeing around our past until it comes back to bite us in the butt at the most inconvenient times. Honesty from a man is something I'm not entirely used to."

"Am I sensing some train-wreckage on your side as well?" Jack asked.

Sylvia took a sip of her coffee and laughed. "Oh no, that's a third or fourth date conversation."

"Is there going to be a third or fourth date?" Jack asked.

Sylvia smiled. "Only if you want."

* * *

Bobby paced around the lobby impatiently as he waited for Sylvia Shaun to return. The doorman suggested that he maybe sit down and the Boston FBI officers told him maybe they should come back later. Still, Bobby was resolute in finding her and talking to her now, just to get it over with. He looked up when he heard a pair of voices laughing and the shock was visible on his face when he saw who the male accompanying the young woman was. 

"There…that's Sylvia Shaun now." The doorman explained.

Sylvia stopped and looked to the officers curiously and turned to the doorman. "Marcus? What's going on?" she asked.

Jack tried his best not to react to seeing his best friend standing right there and Bobby tried his best to ignore Jack's presence. Bobby turned to Sylvia and showed her his badge. "Ms. Shaun? Could we ask you a couple of questions?"

Jack looked at her with concern. "What's going on? What's this about?" He asked somewhat defensively.

"Nothing serious. We were just looking for witnesses for a hit-and-run that happened the other day." Bobby said without looking at Jack.

"Oh…uhm…sure. What would you like to know?" Sylvia asked.

"Actually, we'd like to talk to you in private if that's possible." One of the officers explained.

"Sure, of course," She turned to Jack and smiled. "Thanks for coffee. I guess I'll see you around then."

Jack returned the smile and gave her hand a light squeeze. He turned around and gave a lingering look at Bobby before heading out the door of the complex.

The other officers sat down on the couch while Sylvia gave them each a glass of water. Bobby leaned against the wall, extremely uneasy by Sylvia's presence. She sat down on the couch across from the other officers.

"What did you guys want to ask me? I don't really remember seeing anything." Sylvia said.

One of the officers cleared his throat. "Actually we wanted to ask you some questions about Dylan Boon."

Sylvia froze and all of the emotion drained from her face. She took a long sip of her drink and nodded. "All right."

"We understand you guys were in a relationship a couple of years ago."

Sylvia nodded. "It was over 10 years ago. I was really young."

"When was the last time you spoke to him?"

"When I left town for school…8 or so years ago." She replied.

"Are you aware he's dead?" Bobby asked.

Sylvia shook her head but her face still remained emotionless. "No."

One of the officers handed her the picture of the necklace. "Does this look familiar?"

Sylvia nodded. "Yes. He gave it to be for my 16th birthday."

"He was strangled with it after he was shot," Bobby explained. "Any idea how it might have gotten there?"

Sylvia looked at Bobby straight in the eye. "I don't know. I gave back everything he gave to me when I left."

"Really?" Bobby said pacing around. "That's a lot of expensive things to give up for a single girl trying to make her way through school."

"I didn't want any reminders of that life. I needed a clean break."

The officers looked at one another and then up at Bobby expectantly. Bobby sat down straight across from Sylvia and looked her straight in the eye. "He's dead, Sylvia. And from the looks of it, it's personal. And word on the street is that you had a bit of a problem with the big boss Boon was working for."

"You're saying I hired someone to kill him?" Sylvia asked.

"Can you convince us otherwise? Taking money from them to go to medical school, it's not looking too good on you." Bobby countered.

"What? You think I took money from Sam when I wanted to get away from that environment? I paid for medical school from a trust fund my biological father set up for me when I was a baby." Sylvia explained.

Bobby looked at Sylvia, the look of frustration evident on his face. "Where were you June 29th?"

"For the whole day? Or would you like to be more specific."

"The whole day." Bobby challenged.

"I worked the whole day at the hospital from a 38 hour shift and then I came home with my good friends Ben and Jerry. That's usually how my day goes." She answered.

"Today seemed to be a good exception though. Who was that gentlemen you were with?" Bobby pressed.

Sylvia raised a brow. "He's a friend. Trevor, if you must know."

"And what does he do?"

"He's a banker. What does that have to do with anything?" Sylvia answered impatiently.

The other officers looked at Bobby then stood up. "Nothing, we're just seeing who we might have to talk to. Thank you for your time Ms. Shaun."


	6. Chapter 5 All That's InBetween

**Author's Note**: Once again, a great big thank you to those are reading and reviewing! **  
**

** Chapter 5 – All That's In-Between**

The doorbell to Jack's town house rang furiously and frantically. Jack approached the door tentatively and looked through the peephole. He leaned against the door, unsure of what his next move should be. Reluctantly, he opened the door and was greeted by Bobby, a sneer etched on his face.

"Are you going to let me in?" He demanded.

Jack looked past his shoulder but Bobby cut him off. "I was careful," and pushed his way into his home.

"Come on in, would you like something to drink?" Jack said sarcastically as he followed Bobby into the kitchen.

"What the hell is going on here?" Bobby asked.

"Why don't you tell me? Seeing as how I was going to ask you the exact same thing." Jack countered.

"That girl you were with, do you have any idea who she is?"

Jack looked at Bobby in disbelief. "Her name's Sylvia, she's a friend of mine."

"Are you seeing her? I mean is it serious?" Bobby asked nervously.

"Why does any of that matter?"

Bobby shook his head frustrated. "It's serious isn't it? Do you have any idea how much danger you could be in after the bureau tried so hard to give you a new life?"

"Bobby! What are you on about?"

"And Sue? What about Sue? Have you ever thought about her feelings?" Bobby ranted.

"Bobby! Will you calm down for just three seconds maybe?" Jack yelled.

Bobby took in a deep breath and collapsed into a chair. "I'm sorry…I just don't know where to start."

"How about you start by telling me what you're doing here?"

Bobby took in a deep breath. "I'm investigating a case…the death of Dylan Boon."

"Dylan Boon? The guy who works for the Shen Triad?" Jack asked.

Bobby nodded. "We were trying to bust Dylan on the slave trade ring the Shens were heading up, we were hoping he would be able to give us Sam. But he disappeared a couple of months ago and a few weeks ago he turned up dead."

"What does that have to do with Sylvia?"

Bobby sighed. "We think Sylvia and Boon might have been an item when she was part of the Shens and known as Leanne Kida. Boon gave her a very expensive necklace that we found around his neck."

Jack shook his head. "Are you saying Sylvia killed Boon? How can that be possible?"

"Look, I'm not saying for sure anything. I'm just saying you need to be careful."

Jack nodded and sat down across from Bobby at the table. Bobby looked at him and leaned back. "How is…everything here?"

"It's not bad actually," Jack answered with honesty. "It's different…and a lot more ordinary but I love it here."

"Still playing hockey?"

Jack smiled fondly. "Yeah…I'm in a league with a couple of friends. We play every week at the community center," He tapped his hands lightly on the table. "How about D.C.? How's everybody there?"

Bobby inhaled sharply. "All right. They've finally come to terms with everything and trying to move on to the best of their abilities I think. We have a new member to our team. Eric Sugden…from the L.A. branch."

Jack nodded. "I know him…I've worked with him a couple of times before. He's a good guy."

"They miss you a lot though. We all do. It's been…difficult."

"How's Sue?" he asked quietly.

Bobby smiled tightly. "She's been all right. She was devastated at first obviously. She actually got back together with Dave for awhile but…I don't think they're together anymore."

"Oh." Jack nodded slowly.

The two sat in awkward silence for a while before Bobby finally spoke up and asked the question that had been plaguing his mind for the last three years. "Why me, Jack? Why didn't you tell Sue instead of me?"

Jack sighed and shrugged. "I just don't think it would have been any easier to say goodbye," he rubbed his face with his face in exhaustion. "I had to tell someone, Bobby. You were my best friend at the force…I needed someone to know."

Bobby stood up and nodded, heading towards the door. Before he exited he turned to Jack and paused. "Jack…there's more. My supervisor told me not to come find you when I came here but I feel like I needed to tell you."

Jack looked at him concerned. "What's wrong?"

"The person who killed Boon was the same person who was hired to kill you."

* * *

Eric and Sue knocked on the door of the stingy apartment and awaited an answer. Eric turned to Sue and told her he could hear shuffling yet there was no response from within.

"Mrs. Ling? I know you're there. Please it's the F.B.I, we want to ask you a few questions." Eric explained.

The door opened a small crack and a petite Chinese woman answered the door. "What you want?" She asked in broken English.

Sue and Eric showed her their badges. "I know this is hard for you, but we need to ask you a couple of questions about what happened to you."

"I don't want talk about." She replied meekly.

"Please, Mrs. Ling. We know it's difficult but we really need to talk to you." Sue pleaded.

She sighed and opened the door wider for them. "Okay. Come in."

Eric and Sue walked into the small apartment and sat down. "I know we've already talked to you about what happened. But…we need to clarify some things."

Mrs. Ling nodded. "Okay. I try."

"The man who brought you over here…it was this man correct?" Eric asked, showing her a picture of Dylan Boon.

"Yes…that's the man." She nodded.

"Have you ever seen either of these two people with him when you were there?" Sue asked, showing her pictures of both Patsy and Sam.

Mrs. Ling looked at them closely and nodded. "This man, no. But woman, yes. More than one time."

"What was she doing there?"

Mrs. Ling sighed. "Her and this man—" She said indicating to the picture of Dylan. "They fight. They yell at each other."

"What were they yelling about?" Sue asked gently.

"I not quite sure. Woman was mad…man nice to us." Mrs. Ling struggled to explain.

"I don't understand. The man was nice to you?" Eric asked.

Mrs. Ling nodded. "Sometimes he mean. He take pictures of us. But he give us really good food and water and make sure we warm. He tell us a lot of times 'I'm sorry'. He talk to us in Chinese."

"So…he took care of you?" Sue asked.

Mrs. Ling nodded. "Woman was very upset. Woman said Sam not pay him to be a mother. He yell back that Sam gone too far but she ask him where his royalties lie."

"Loyalties?" Eric corrected.

"Ah, yes that one…man also said of course woman would care about Sam."

Eric looked to Sue thoughtfully, both coming to the same conclusion.

* * *

Jack had some come home from work and he was exhausted. He spent the entire day pretty much walking in a daze. What Bobby told him a couple of days ago still weighed heavily on his mind. Was it really just a coincidence that the same man who tried to kill him killed Sylvia's ex-mobster boyfriend and they just happened to end up in the same town?

And they found him. They found out the man who was responsible for causing him to have to erase his past and start over. Was he really ready to face it? Bobby had told him if they could make a case against him, they wouldn't need his testimony out of security.

What happens after they convict him then? Would he be allowed to go back to D.C. or would he still have to stay where he was?

He was brought out of his daze when his phone rang and he answered it startled. "Hello?"

"Trevor! Hey…it's Sylv."

Jack's face fell and he was glad she wasn't able to see it. "Sylvia…uh…hi how's it going?"

"All right…excuse me if I'm a little loopy I've kind of been on-call for the past 36 hours." She joked.

"Uh yeah…that's okay. No problem."

"So…uhm…it's been a couple of days. How have you been?" Sylvia asked, sensing his discomfort.

"Been okay. Just caught up at work."

Sylvia took in a deep breath. "Okay…Trevor. I feel like I kind of owe you an explanation."

"About what?" Jack asked expectantly.

"About why there were F.B.I. agents waiting for me at my apartment the other day. And I know that we haven't known each other all that long but I feel like if we're going to be friends…or whatever…you should know." She explained.

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" Jack asked.

"I think it does. But I can't tell you now, could you maybe meet me later?"

Jack hesitated, what Bobby told him still weighing heavily on his mind. "I don't know I'll have to get back to you."

"Oh," she replied, hoping her disappointment wasn't evident in her voice. "Sure, yeah of course. Talk to you later then." She hung up before Jack could reply.

* * *

Bobby was at his desk at the F.B.I. headquarters of Massachusetts trying his best to find out any more information he could about Sylvia when the phone rang.

"Manning." He answered.

"Bobby? It's Tara," The voice from the other end said. "We think we might have a lead on the assassin that killed Boon."

"Shoot." Bobby said.

"He changes his signature once in awhile but he always leaves some other form of pattern. Our forensic team put a couple of the pieces together and discovered on the street he's known as The Fisherman."

"The Fisherman, how quaint." Bobby mused.

"There's more. We did the financial check on Sylvia's trust fund that you gave us. It's legitimate, her biological father did set it up for her." Tara explained.

"I'm guessing there's more to this story."

"A lot more," Tara agreed. "Her father was a congressman for Hong Kong who put Sam in jail 30 years ago before he fled to the States."

Bobby stopped immediately and his eyes grew wide. "Oh no."

* * *

Sylvia exited the elevator to her floor and gave a deep sigh of relief at finally being able to take a break after working for almost three days straight. All she wanted to do was take a nice hot bath and sleep for a couple of hours. Although working did help her take her mind off of things. Now, she had too much time to think. To think about Boon, and how he was really gone. And also about Trevor, and how there probably wasn't going to be any chance for them. As she approached her front door she felt a figure approach. She turned around and was surprised at who she saw.

"Hi." Jack said.

"Trevor. Hey."

"I'm sorry I was…abrupt with you earlier. Did you still want to talk?" Jack offered.

Sylvia smiled meekly. "I think that would be a good idea…come inside."

"I never really got close to anybody in my life. And…it felt like there was a chance that we were going to be close. So…I just felt that it was only fair I warn you in advance what you were getting into before…you decided whether or not you wanted to…get into anything." Sylvia explained as she handed Jack a cup of coffee.

Jack nodded. "All right."

Sylvia swallowed and took a deep breath. "When I was a kid…I was just angry and upset all the time because of my parents. I got caught with some bad people…this guy named Dylan…he worked for a gang. He took really good care of me…he showed me the love and attention I've wanted my whole life…" Sylvia paused. "After a couple of years I grew sick of the lifestyle and so did Dylan," Sylvia explained. "The reason that the F.B.I. wanted to talk to me before was because…Dylan was killed." She looked up at Jack waiting for an answer.

"They think you had something to do with it?"

"I…I don't know."

Jack nodded and the two sat in silence for a long while. The tension floating between them extremely evident. "Well…?"

"Well what?" Jack asked.

They stared at each other for a moment and then their attention was drawn elsewhere. They could hear rustling from upstairs and they looked at one another cautiously.

"You hear that too?" Jack whispered to Sylvia. Sylvia nodded in response.

The two stood up carefully and crept to the master bedroom. Jack tiptoed into the room with Sylvia right behind. As they entered, the door began to swing close as the person hiding behind it was ready to make his presence known. Sylvia heard the noise and turned around just as the figure dressed in black lunged at her. She managed to dodge his punch and kicked him right in the gut, causing him to stagger backwards from the blow. She then kicked the back of his legs, causing him to fall the ground. Jack and Sylvia ran out of the apartment and down the staircase of the apartment complex. The assailant started to chase after them and started to shoot at them with his gun. They ran through the lobby and outside of the building. As soon as they were out of the building, a car pulled up by the curb.

"Get in!" Bobby called to them.


	7. Chapter 6 The Distance to Here

**Author's Note: **Once again, thanks a bunch to everyone who's still reading and reviewing! Please feel free to give me some more of your feedback, I love hearing from you guys! This is a shorter chapter and I hope it's been going at a good pace for everyone so far. Lots of love for you all. **  
**

**Chapter 6 – The Distance to Here**

"We've gotten all of the evidence we could from the investigation," D explained to Bobby over the phone. "The USDA still doesn't think we have enough evidence to convict the Fisherman based on the ballistics and Sue's testimony alone."

"I've spoken to the D.A. in Boston already. They're willing to extradite him to Washington." Bobby replied. "What would you like me to do about Sylvia Shaun?"

"If what we have about her is correct her life is in danger as well. Bring her back here…with Jack." D explained.

"Jack?" Bobby asked.

"Yes. We need his testimony. The USDA says the only way to guarantee an indictment is for him to testify…he was the only one who can say for sure if it was him."

Bobby sighed. "All right."

Jack handed Sylvia a cup of tea and sat next to her on the couch. Sylvia had a blanket wrapped around her, sitting cross-legged on the white couch of the hotel room. She took the cup and held it tightly in her hands.

"Are you all right?" Jack asked.

Sylvia nodded. "I—I think so."

"You aren't hurt…or anything, are you?" Jack asked with concern.

Sylvia smiled weakly. "No…I'm fine. A little shaken up but I think I'll survive," she answered. "Hopefully." She took a sip of her tea. "I'm sorry you had to be dragged into this." She apologized.

Jack felt the guilt of his dishonesty start to knot inside of him but didn't allow it to register on his face. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm glad you're here," she replied. "Even if you haven't exactly been entirely forthcoming with me." She said with a small smile.

"I want to tell you, Sylvia. Goodness, I really do," Jack explained. "But I don't know if it's the right time…"

Sylvia nodded and replied simply, "Okay."

"You're going to be safe here. There are agents all around you to make sure nothing happens." Jack assured her.

"Sounds like a speech you've given before." She smirked.

Jack couldn't help but smile a little. "Do you want me to stay for a little while?"

Sylvia shook her head. "No…it's all right. I just want to get some rest."

Jack nodded and placed his cup down on the coffee table. He stood up and kissed Sylvia lightly on the forehead before heading out of the door. Just as he exited the door he saw Bobby wrapping up his phone call in the hallway. Bobby slipped his phone back into his pocket and looked to Jack.

"How is she? Everything all right?"

"Yeah, I think so." Jack answered.

"The guy who tried to kill her…the others got him when he was trying to drive away from the scene." Bobby explained.

"That's good." Jack said with relief. "But…doesn't it seem a little convenient that somebody tried to kill her while I happened to be over?"

Bobby froze and sighed. "Why did you go over there then?"

"I…I don't know," Jack answered honestly. "I guess I was just hoping that I would find the truth."

"Jack…I'm sorry I made you suspicious about Sylvia. But I don't think she's the one who killed Boon."

Jack felt a wave of relief wash over him. "How do you know that?" He asked just to be certain.

"Her father was a congressman that put Sam in jail 30 years ago. We think Sam has been hunting her all of this time. You weren't the target today, she was."

"Looks like everybody's got their secrets. It seems like a pretty convenient coincidence though."

"Early ballistics report says it might be the same guy." Bobby added.

"The same guy who killed Boon…and—"

"The guy who tried to do you as well." Bobby finished.

Jack took in a deep breath. "So…what happens now?"

"Well," Bobby started. "How would you like to go back to D.C.?"

* * *

Bobby braced himself as he entered the bullpen with D beside him. As he entered the office the members of the unit looked at him expectantly. D and Bobby looked at one another before D cleared his voice and addressed the group.

"The USDA is going to charge the Fisherman with what we know so far. We're doing a search of his apartment to see if we can find some of his other transactions. The grand jury's hearing testimony soon as well. In the meantime, we'll need to continue our search of Patsy and Sam. We're going to put some pressure on the Fisherman, a.k.a. Don Hanes to give up Sam."

"And who hired to kill Jack, although that might be pretty obvious." Myles added. "I don't see how this guy can get anything less than a life sentence for what he's done."

Bobby looked to D and Bobby sighed. "Look, there's something we need to tell you guys." He took in a deep breath. "Jack isn't dead."

The group stared at him in disbelief. "Did he say Jack wasn't dead?" Sue asked.

Bobby nodded. "He didn't die. He survived the gunshot but the F.B.I. thought it would be safer if they put him into witness protection."

They group looked at one another in shock, unsure of what to make of things. "So…how come you knew?" Sue asked slightly agitated.

"He asked to speak to me before he left. It's not usually procedure but he wanted somebody to know." Bobby explained somewhat ashamed.

"Then why the hell did you not tell any of us?" Myles demanded.

"Because he wasn't allowed to," D stepped in. "It was against the rules for Jack to speak to him anyway, his security would have been even more at risk if any of you guys knew." He leapt to Bobby's defense.

"Where has he been all this time?" Lucy asked concerned.

Bobby was about to answer when D once again interrupted him. "We're not allowed to say. Look nothing's for sure at this point. We're only telling you this because it's bound to come out and we can only charge the Fisherman with attempted murder in Jack's case."

The group looked at one another in silence, unsure of what to say. Finally Myles piped up. "Always knew he was too hard-headed to die."

"I want to see him." Sue spoke up.

Bobby looked to her. "Are you sure?"

Sue nodded. "I want to see him, where is he?"

Bobby sighed. "He's downstairs."

* * *

Sylvia and Jack stood next to one another in the hall and looked at the names and pictures of the fallen agents around the wall.

"Wow." Sylvia exclaimed.

"Yeah…it's so weird." He replied.

"I always knew there was a reason you looked more like a Jack than a Trevor." She replied.

Jack smiled a little but the smile quickly faded. "I'm sorry I couldn't be honest with you."

"Well, there were extraneous circumstances." Sylvia answered. "Trust me, that is a complete non-issue."

Jack took in a deep breath. "Would you really have been okay with that though? Living a lie?"

Sylvia tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I don't know. Sometimes you don't really have a choice."

Sue stepped off the elevator and sprinted down the hall. She saw the back of a young man with dark brown hair in a suit standing next to a shorter young woman with black hair.

"Jack?" She said, her voice quivering with a mixture of hope and nervousness.

The two figures turned around slowly. Jack's heart began to beat faster than he could remember. Sue saw that familiar face and froze and could feel the tears well up in her eyes.

"Jack…" She said and ran over to him, pulling him into a hug. She had to make sure he was real and this wasn't some cruel dream.

"Sue?" He said, his voice shaking as he held her tightly.

"It's you! It's really you…oh thank God!" She said as she held his face in her hands and gave him a kiss on his cheek and then pulled him back into an embrace.

"Yeah…it is." He whispered, closing his eyes and enjoying the closeness between them that he was finally able to have. He looked to Sylvia who smiled at them softly who tried her best to hide her slight disappointment and jealousy.


	8. Chapter 7 What Was Always There

** Author's Note:** Phew, here we go. Another not very long chapter but at least it's something...right? Yeah...thanks again to every single one of you that's been reading and reviewing. I love the feedback so keep it coming!

**  
Chapter 7 – What Was Always There**

Jack exited the court chambers after delivering his testimony to the USDA. Sue and Bobby waited for him outside and when he approached Sue smiled brightly at him.

"I just have to show up to give the grand jury testimony now."

Sue smiled and pulled him into another hug, which Jack returned. "I just still can't believe you're here. I mean I'm happy but—"

"I know." Jack whispered.

Bobby smiled at the duo. "Listen, I have to head back. See you guys later." He said and bolted off to give the couple a bit of privacy.

Jack and Sue exited the building. "So uhm…are you hungry?"

"Starving." Sue nodded.

Jack offered his arm and Sue slipped his arm through it and the two headed into the car the F.B.I. supplied. The bureau had ordered a detail on Jack while he was in D.C. during the course of the trial just for security measures. The two pulled up outside of their usual restaurant and sat down at a table by themselves while their security detail sat close by.

"So, how have you been?" Jack asked as they dug into their food.

"It's been weird. We've all missed you a lot these past few years." Sue answered.

Jack nodded. "I've missed you guys too. I see Eric Sugden's joined the team."

"Yes…he's a very good agent. A smarter, more handsome you." Sue teased.

Jack laughed. "Well it's nice to see you still have your sense of humour."

"Yes…but it did take awhile for me to find it again. After what happened."

"I'm sorry…if I caused you any pain…any…agony. I didn't want to lie to you, I really didn't. But…it was for the best." Jack tried to rationalize.

"We were scared…we weren't sure if we were able to carry on," Sue confessed. "I was destroyed by it. I didn't know if I could find the strength to move on with my life. Just knowing you were ripped away from me."

"But I'm not. I'm here now. We have a second chance." Jack said with hope.

Sue smiled and Jack continued. "We had all that time before and we wasted it. It really puts things into perspective." He reached out and took Sue's hand into his. "I just hope I don't squander this opportunity either."

* * *

"Patsy's disappeared," Eric explained. "And since the Fisherman is facing multiple life sentences anyways, we're pretty much running out of chances to pin any of this on Sam."

"Boon must have done something in order to get himself killed." Bobby said.

Eric, Bobby, Tara, Myles and D were gathered in the hotel room they rented to keep Sylvia in while she was in D.C. and sat around her discussing the case. They looked to Sylvia expectantly.

"I haven't spoken to him in years," Sylvia confessed. "His work was dangerous, anybody could have done this."

"But only so many people could have had access to your necklace." Myles countered.

"When I left…" Sylvia started, "I asked Boon to come with me. But he said he needed more time. He might have been collecting evidence trying to bring Sam down."

"And Sam found out and ordered his death." D concluded.

"Why does he want me dead though?" Sylvia asked.

The team looked at one another and Tara sighed. "Sylvia, do you know who your father was?"

Sylvia shook her head. "A business man of some sort, that's what I was told."

Tara took in a deep breath. "Look this isn't going to be easy. But he was a politician who ordered Sam to prison in Hong Kong. Your family moved here out of security but then Sam ended up fleeing the country. He ended up killing your whole entire family and in order to protect you, your father gave you away to the orphanage to be raised."

Sylvia's eyes widened in surprise and she swallowed a gulp. "Then why did Sam keep me so close to him for so long?"

"Maybe it was just so he could have a better chance to bring you down," Myles said. "Boon was hired to track you down and befriend you but it looks like you became too important to him. His demise probably started when you left and he let you."

Tears welt up in Sylvia's eyes and she buried her face into her hands. Tara patted Sylvia's back gently. "Can you tell us anything that might help us track down Patsy or Sam?"

Sylvia wiped her eyes and took in a deep breath before facing them. "He had this place…where he kept important things that belonged to him. His closet at his apartment…it has a false back I think."

* * *

Sue and Jack walked hand in hand with Levi in tow back to the hotel, their detail following them closely. For that moment they didn't really have a care in the world, they were even able to ignore the fact that they were being monitored from under a microscope. It didn't matter to them though, they had too much time they had to make up for.

"I've missed this." Sue said.

Jack nodded. "You have no idea."

"So…do you think after this is all over with we'd be able to do this more often?" Sue asked hopefully.

Jack chuckled. "I hope so," Jack took in a deep breath. "It's almost scary…having to think about what's going to happen after."

"I don't think we're supposed to know what happens after," Sue explained. "That's all up to God. The best we can do is live in the now."

"The now…it's pretty scary. I don't know what's going to happen with the trial or what's going to happen afterwards. I mean…will I get to move back here?"

Sue's face lit up at the thought. "I don't see why not. I mean there's no more danger for you so why couldn't you come back?"

Jack smiled at the thought. "It'd be nice. But I wouldn't know what I would end up doing. Working for the bureau again?"

"Wouldn't you want to have your old job back though?"

Jack placed his hands on Sue's shoulders and looked at her intently. "Would that really be what you want?"

Sue looked thoughtful for a moment and realized that if Jack were to come back and resume his old job then there would be no chance for them. This opportunity was staring at them in the face and it was something that they've wanted for years but could never have. Now, under extraordinary circumstances they could have it but essentially, nothing in their lives would be the same.

Sue forced a smile on her face. "We don't have to think about it right now. Let's just try to live in the present. And talk about what you're thinking of doing now."

Jack smirked. "What I'm thinking about doing now…that is an interesting question. You honestly want to know?" Sue nodded albeit a little confused. Jack took in a deep breath and smiled, and leaned forward. Their lips met and for that one moment all of that time they wasted in the years trying to push back their feelings for one another seemed so insignificant and petty. But something didn't feel right. When they parted they stared at one another expectantly. Sue smiled brightly and Jack thought to himself how much he missed that smile. But something still wasn't right and the uncertainty of their future together frightened him more than anything.

"Good night, Jack." Sue smiled.

"Good night." He replied and watched her walk off before walking into the hotel.

* * *

Bobby, Myles and Eric walked into the dingy building that Dylan Boon used to live in, following the landlord to his former apartment which they were relieved still hadn't be rented out yet. They entered the small apartment and could still see the markings where his furniture used to be. Most of the things in his room were taken by the agency in hopes they would turn up some evidence. Bobby made his way to his closet and tapped in various places on the back. He hit one spot that sounded hollow and called Myles and Eric over.

"Well? What do you think?" He asked, tapping it again.

Eric lifted up the sledgehammer into position. "Do you we should have told the landlord about this before?" He asked.

"You mean you didn't?" Bobby asked.

"Of course he did." Myles corrected and Eric began to strike down the wall, which crumbled without any trouble. The three of them waved around the dust and debris that was created only to be created by an empty space before another wall.

Myles felt around the wall and observed. "It looks like this addition was fairly new actually."

Bobby felt around the inside of the wall and saw something yellow sticking out from the air-vent on the other wall. He released the air-vent and pulled out a manila envelope. He opened it and took out the contents. They were photographs. He looked through them and showed them to Myles.

"Looks like Patsy's been keeping herself busy." Bobby explained. They were pictures of Patsy and Sam together.

Eric took the photos from Bobby and leafed through them. "Well…it looks like Patsy wasn't that heartbroken about Boon's affairs after all."

* * *

Sue walked back into the apartment she shared with Lucy with Levi happily in tow. As soon as she entered the apartment Lucy bounded into the hallway and greeted her with a smile.

"You look like the cat who got the cream," Sue remarked. Levi barked along happily and Sue shot him a look. "It's just a figure of speech, Levi."

"I was about to say the same to you," Lucy countered. "So? Details, please!"

Sue smiled mischievously. "Details about what?"

"Oh come on, don't play that game with me, I know you were with Jack!" Lucy said, pushing her friend playfully.

Sue took in a breath and they walked into the living room, sitting on the couch next to one another. "We went out to eat…and then he…kissed me."

Lucy gasped and smiled brightly. "I knew it! So was it everything you expected it to be?"

Sue sucked on her cheek for a moment. "You know, it's funny. I pictured that moment so many times in my head and it was nothing like what actually happened."

Lucy looked concerned. "You were disappointed? Are you sorry it happened?"

Sue shook her head. "Of course not! I mean…the thing is I was never sure about my feelings for him in the first place. When I thought he died, that's when I was definitely sure I was in love with him," Sue sighed. "But…he's different now. These past three years have really changed him."

"Well, of course they're bound to have changed him. These were three really hard years on all of us." Lucy rationalized.

"I know. But it just seems a little unfair of me. He talked about his life in Hartbridge and he was so fond of it…it just seems a little unfair to make him choose."

"He wouldn't have come back and agreed to see all of us if he didn't want to."

"He came back because he had to…" Sue replied.

Lucy shook her head. "No, Sue. Just because he has a new life elsewhere doesn't mean he missed you any less. Your relationship is being redefined…it's scary but at the same time it can also be really great."

Sue smiled lightly. "Thanks, Luce. I don't think if I've ever been as scared in my life."


	9. Chapter 8 Salvage What You Can

**Author's Note: **Sorry there hasn't been an update in awhile! My computer went through some reformatting and I'm still in the process of looking for all of my files and getting them reuploaded. This chapter is a bit of a filler episode. Thank you once again to all of my loyal readers and who are worried about the direction this story is going. Hopefully I won't disappoint and thanks for reading and reviewing! **  
**

**Chapter 8 – Salvage What You Can**

Jack and Sylvia sat across from one another in Sylvia's hotel room playing a game of cards. They had been placed in rooms next to one another so that the security could keep a closer eye on them. They left the door in between the rooms open in case. After a bit of a silence Sylvia finally spoke up.

"So how does it feel to be back?" She asked without taking her eyes off her cards.

"Despite the really awkward circumstances? It feels really good."

Sylvia nodded. "I can tell you were close to your workmates."

"They were my family. It was hard having to leave them behind and end up living a life that was full of lies." Jack replied.

"Well not everything you told was a lie." Sylvia said referring to Sue.

Jack tensed a little and nodded. "Yeah…" Jack sighed. "Something happened last night. We went out to eat and afterwards…well we kissed."

Sylvia looked surprised but hid her disappointment well. "Oh…that's good right?"

Jack smiled fondly at the memory. "Yeah…it's what I've wanted for a long time. But…under all the pressure that's going on now it just didn't feel like I had any right to enjoy it. Especially after all those years we wasted before." He looked up at Sylvia and apologized. "Sorry, this probably isn't what you wanted to hear."

Sylvia shook her head. "I'm a romantic. It doesn't bother me, don't worry," she explained. "And listen…I don't think you should let what happened in the past affect what's going to happen in the future. If anything you should learn that you don't have a lot of time to waste anymore and just…cease the moment you know?"

Jack looked at Sylvia curiously. "You really think so?"

"I'm not a professional concerning the affairs of the heart, trust me," she insisted but smiled. "But…the way you talked about her…it'd be heartbreaking if you didn't at least try." She looked back down at her cards but quickly added, "But you should take it slow obviously…I mean it has been three years. Things are bound to be different and scary."

Jack smiled as best as he could. "I'm really sorry," he apologized sincerely. "This probably isn't how you pictured our relationship turning out."

"Life throws your curveballs sometimes. You have to roll with it the best you can otherwise you wouldn't be able to survive," Sylvia said. "Besides, I always do seem to fall for the guys with emotional baggage," she joked.

Jack smiled at her fondly and turned back to his cards as they continued onto the game. Sylvia snuck a glance at him through her cards before she spoke up again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." She replied.

"What is it?"

"Why…did that man try to kill you? Because I know this is bothering you a lot more than you're letting on."

Jack took in a deep breath. "It's been three years. You know, I can hardly believe nobody's mentioned what happened since that man was charged. The two incidences seem so…separated."

"What happened?" she asked gently.

"There was this immigrant family who worked for this man…Carlos Mintayga…he was the head of a very dangerous drug ring we had been trying to bust for a long time. This family worked in his home and they overheard some plans that were very…unsettling to them. They came to us despite knowing the danger it would pose to them," Jack paused and sighed. "I was working undercover for Mintayga. I managed to get really close to him and was about to bust him when he found out it was the family that told the F.B.I. about him. I walked in on him killing the family…the entire family." He paused and shuddered at the memory. "They had a daughter…no more than 6-years-old. She was dying and she didn't want me to leave her so I couldn't go after Mintayga. I promised her…he would be punished for what he did."

"Oh my goodness…Jack," Sylvia said. Jack looked at her when she said his name and he felt both relieved and nervous when she said it. "I'm so sorry."

"When Mintayga was in custody there were threats against me but I couldn't be bothered by them, I got them all the time. When the case went to trial Mintayga found out I was testifying and…he hired someone to kill me. I was with Sue at the time, we were on our way home from work when it happened."

Sylvia was silent, unsure of what to say to him, knowing that no words would be adequate enough. Tears swelled in Jack's eyes but he did his best to suppress them. "For a moment I really wish I hadn't promised that girl what I did. For a while I blamed her for being the reason I had to move away from my friends and my family." Jack laughed a little. "I was so resentful…but eventually I started to love it there. Just being able to escape all of the emotion and complication that came with a case. Life there was so much simpler…I mean I loved my job. But it was nice being able to escape from it all and forget everything. I didn't even have to worry about my relationship with Sue anymore because I knew there was definitely no way I could be with her." His voice started to sound more and more anxious.

Sylvia was taken aback. "Jack are you saying—"

"I don't know if I want to be here…Sylv. I don't know if I want this life anymore. I can't just be uprooted and expected to erase a life, friends, people that were so hard for me to grow to love and have it taken away again," he started ranting. "I don't want to sit in that court room and look at the man who made me live a lie that I ended up loving." He confessed.

Sylvia looked at him sympathetically, uncomfortable and unsure of what to say. She went over to Jack and placed her arms around him, giving him a hug and patting his back gently. Jack closed his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder, wishing in his mind for all of this conflict inside of him to go away. The two were interrupted with a sudden knock at the door. They sprung apart and Sylvia looked through the peephole. She looked through the door and opened the door for Sue and Levi in tow.

"Hey! Just thought we'd come and keep you guys company." She said entering.

Jack smiled. "Actually, you can keep Sylvia company. I'm going to turn in for the night." He walked over to Sue and the two stared at each other for a beat. Sue reached over tentatively and gave him a hug. "Good night." Jack said. Sylvia watched this exchanged and felt her heart wince a little.

Sue smiled tightly "Good night."

Jack patted Sylvia's shoulder lightly and smiled before he walked over to his room and closed the door in between. Sue sat down at the table across from Sylvia and smiled. "So, you knew Jack back in Hartbridge?"

Sylvia smiled a tight smile. "Yes…he was known as Trevor Tomlin there though."

"How did you guys meet?" Sue asked with interest.

"Through a friend. I'm an intern at the hospital and Jack was brought in. He got hit in the head with a puck." Sylvia explained.

Sue laughed. "That sounds like something that would happen to Jack."

"So um…you guys worked together in D.C.?"

Sue nodded. "Yes…we've been working together for a couple of years. He was the one who brought me into the team and really believed in me…at first when people weren't exactly enthusiastic about someone like me being on the force."

"Oh…right. Jack mentioned to me you were deaf." Sylvia said.

"Yes. At first I wasn't even sure myself that I would be able to do it. But Jack really believed in me and I owe a lot to him." Sue explained.

Sylvia smiled. "It sounds like you guys had a really good relationship."

"We were friends, above all else. It's…hard to find friends who will love you through thick and thin…especially when you're obviously different." Sue said.

Sylvia nodded. "I know what you mean." She said with a bit of a dry laugh.

Sue looked at her sympathetically. "Is that what you and Dylan were like?"

Sylvia seemed hesitant to open up and reluctantly nodded. "He was the one…significant relationship in my life that I could remember."

"It must have taken a lot for you to leave him."

"I had to. For my own sanity I had to. I knew I should have made him come with me or stuck around to try to…save him. But I was selfish and decided I needed to save myself. Maybe if I hadn't…he would still be—"

Sue stopped her abruptly. "No, you can't think that. You aren't responsible for what happened to him, Sylvia, not at all. You had enough faith in him to change that you tried to help him. Unfortunately, there's always going to be people in this world who make it hard for you."

Sylvia smiled fondly at the memory of her friend. "He was such a gentleman with me. He wouldn't even kiss me until I was 18. It drove me crazy," she laughed and Sue chuckled as well. "I knew what he was doing was wrong and I thought I could accept that part of him. Sometimes Sam would ask us to do awful things but he always told me not to and I was too precious to be tainted." She paused. "In a way it was kind of disturbing. The way how he almost put me on this pedestal…I think he was expecting me to save him."

"I'm sure he wanted to leave with you…he was collecting evidence against Sam to bring him down. That's why he stayed."

Sylvia started to cry gently. "I know…but if he would have just left with me we could have started over…together. I knew his feelings for me were built on false pretenses but the type of love he showed me…I didn't know if I could find it ever again." Levi strolled over and rested his head on her lap and whimpered lightly. Sylvia forced a smile on her face and gently started to pet the golden dog.

Sue reached out and patted Sylvia's hand gently. "You're still young, Sylvia. There are still so many chances available for you and you would have cut that short if you chose to risk staying with Sam."

"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. When I heard he died I didn't even react to it because somehow I had gotten used to the fact that I was never going to see him again…" Sylvia turned to Sue in a serious manner. "I don't want that to happen for Jack…he's a very good friend and I see the way you guys are with each other."

Sue swallowed a little. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know the whole story. But…he's talked about you before and even the way he talks about you, you can tell…there's just something there."

"The future is definitely uncertain…but we make each other very happy. The thing is if he resumes his old job we won't be able to have a relationship anyways." Sue took in a deep breath. "We wanted this…the both of us for a long time. But it's been three years…we're both different people now."

"That's not the point. The question is are you really willing to risk a second chance at something you've always wanted?" She asked, leaving Sue with some food for thought.

From beyond the door connecting the two doors, Jack listened carefully. He knew he was acting like a teenager trying to figure out what his friends were saying behind his back, but for his own sanity he needed to know. He leaned against the door and let out a frustrated sigh before heading off to bed.

* * *

Sylvia woke up on the couch of the hotel room groggily and looked at the time. It was 3 in the morning. She wiped her face groggily and could feel her head pounding. After Jack and Sue left that night, she sat on the couch for hours repeating their conversation to herself and realized that she had just told the man that she might have been falling in love with to be with another woman. She regretted it, of course, but she knew it was the right thing to do. And like all those other times whenever she did something she wished she hadn't, she would drink herself silly and pay for it the next morning.

She wasn't sure why she woke up in the middle of the night when she was sure she drank enough to knock her out for at least another couple of hours. Reluctantly, she pulled herself heavily off of the couch and towards the bathroom to wash up. The cold water against her skin managed to loosen her body a little. As she exited the bathroom she thought she could hear rustling from somewhere in the room. Cautiously she walked around the room surveying the area. Once she was in the living area she felt someone grab her tightly against the waist. She managed to elbow her assailant in the gut and her assailant stumbled backwards. Her assailant once again lunged at her, which she managed to dodge. Thinking as fast as she could, she round housed her attacker to the ground and made a run for the door only to be knocked to the ground before she could exit. The figure dressed in black put a cloth over her nose and mouth and before she knew it, she had lost all consciousness.


	10. Chapter 9 Quit While You're Ahead

**Author's Note**: Hey guys! Here are another two chapters up. This first one, is once again mostly filler. Alot of dialogue and a look into Sue and Jack's mentality and the dilemmas they're facing. I know I know, it can get a little angsty. The next chapter has some action in it so hopefully you won't get too bored! Thanks so, very, ever much to all of my readers who continue to support this fanfic since it is pretty much my first one. Thanks alot guys and I hope you guys continue to read and review!

**Chapter 9 – Quit While You're Ahead**

Sue sat at her desk in the bullpen and stared vacantly at the file in front of her. She hadn't expected her attention to be divided so easily and thoroughly but her conversation with Sylvia last night still dominated most of her concentration. It used to be easy to throw herself into her work and be distracted from her personal issues with the details of a case, but when those two worlds end up colliding, the fallout can turn out to be disastrous.

"All right," Bobby stood up and slipped on his coat. "Who's up for a lunch break?"

Various members of the team all sprang up from their desks in agreement and followed him towards the door but Lucy noticed that Sue was still staring blankly off into space. With concern, she approached her best friend and put a hand on her shoulder. Sue sat up with a bit of a start and looked to Lucy, forcing a smile on her lips.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked.

Sue nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just trying to work something out in my head."

"Do you want to talk about it? Maybe over lunch? I'm sure I can somehow get Bobby to cover the bill for us," Lucy said mischievously.

Sue smiled tightly, "Maybe next time."

From the doorway Eric noticed the two talking and looked at Sue with concern. She had been spacing out a lot lately and it was definitely an issue of concern. He saw Lucy nod and give her shoulder a light squeeze before heading out the door to catch up with the rest of the group.

"Uh, listen. Tell the gang I just remembered I had to take care of something." He told her before she left.

"Sure, want us to bring you back anything?" Lucy offered.

"Just a sandwich would be fine thanks. And please remind them to hold the onions. I almost died last time."

"It was an accident!" Lucy defended.

Eric chuckled and walked back into the office. He hung his jacket back across his chair and looked over at Sue who was still lost in thought. He sighed and sat across from her desk.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He offered.

"Only if it's a shiny one," Sue replied with a forced smile.

"You've just seemed a little distracted lately. It's not showing up in your performance or anything but…as a friend I'm just a little worried."

Sue took in a deep breath. "Well, it's true. I have kind of been all over the place."

"I don't suppose this has something to do with a certain FBI agent who used to work here who everybody thought was dead but isn't really dead?"

"That obvious huh?"

"Well," Eric replied, "Some things are."

"Yeah," Sue nodded in agreement. "Like the fact that he has a new name, a new career…maybe even a new girlfriend."

An awkward silence fell between them for a moment before Sue took in a deep breath and spoke up again. "It was easier back then, you know? We knew what the rules were…we knew what was possible and not possible."

"But you can't help who you love, can you?" Eric responded, looking up at Sue.

"I don't even know if it was love…" Sue answered honestly. "I always thought there was a chance that he felt the same way I did but I knew there was never a chance for it to amount to anything…whatever that may be."

"But now you do," Eric replied. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"It would have been easier, you know? To go back to the way things were. To go back to just being friends, co-workers. Because at least then we knew where we stood."

"To be fair, Sue…you can't just pick up where you left off. It's been three years."

"That's my point…" Sue took in a deep breath. "I've already come to terms with the fact that I wasn't going to see him again but I still would have given almost anything to have him back here. But now that he is…what now?"

"Sue…" Eric reached out and took her hand. "It just sounds like you don't know what you want yet, and neither does Jack."

"But why not?" Sue pleaded. "If it's love then shouldn't the answer be easy?"

"Love is _never_ easy," Eric explained. "Especially if you've been apart for three years. You guys have always wondered what it would have been like to be together and yeah…now's your chance. But obviously you can't start where you stopped three years ago."

"There's just so much to consider…what's he going to do after the trial ends and what about Sylvia?"

"Maybe you should be talking about this with him, not me," Eric pointed out. "He's the one that needs to hear it."

Sue smiled tightly and nodded, taking in a deep breath. Eric gave her a soft smile and walked over to his desk.

"Thanks," Sue called out.

Eric smiled. "Anytime."

* * *

Jack knocked on the door connecting his room to Sylvia's and waited patiently for a response. It was extremely stifling being cooped up in a hotel room all day and this was one of the days where Jack didn't have to be involved in giving statements or testifying in front of someone. He also managed to sweet talk the agents into letting him go around the city, with a security detail of course. For the first time since he can remember he was buzzing and excited. He wanted to take Sylvia around the city and show her all of the places that he used to frequent. When he was in Hartbridge he certainly got nostalgic and wistful about seeing those places again, and now he could finally make it a reality.

There was still no response from Sylvia's room and he called her name from his side. He stared at the door quizzically. It was already noon, maybe she just wasn't awake yet or maybe she hadn't come back from her usual morning swim yet. A knocking came from the door to his room and he peered through the peephole. He opened the door and greeted Bobby warmly.

"Agent Manning, I take it it's your turn for the babysitting duties." Jack joked as Bobby entered.

"Hey man, if it was up to me I doubt you'd need it at all, but you know what the guys upstairs are like," Bobby answered. "Are you and Sylvia still going to head out today?"

"Yeah, maybe. I think she's still doing her morning swim or something."

Jack handed Bobby a drink from the mini-fridge and Bobby sat down on the couch, propping his feet on the coffee table. "So, what's the deal with you two anyways?"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Don't play coy with me now, Hudson. You know what I mean."

"Weren't you the one who told me I shouldn't be going out with her?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, maybe," Bobby answered sheepishly. "But to be fair, I did think she was going to kill you."

"Fair enough." Jack conceded.

Bobby took a sip of his drink. "So, what about the other 'S' then. The blonde one."

Jack swallowed a gulp. "What about her?"

"Jack Hudson the heartthrob, can't say I'm surprised." Bobby mused.

"You remember that night we went out for dinner?" Jack answered. "Well…I was walking her home and then…I kissed her."

Bobby's eyes widened. "You did? Wow…good on ya, mate." Jack nodded slowly and merely shrugged. Bobby noticed this and arched a brow. "Not…good on you?"

"It's confusing…that's all," Jack replied.

"Then why did you do it?" Bobby inquired.

"Because I wanted to," Jack answered with honesty.

"Sounds like a good enough reason to me," Bobby agreed.

"It's a little unfair though, isn't it? I've wanted to do that for so long and it took me to die for me to actually do it," Bobby gave him a quizzical and confused look. "It made sense in my head," Jack answered sheepishly.

"Listen to me mate," Bobby started with seriousness. "You know what kind of girl Sue is, she doesn't exactly have to sit around or try very hard for guys to want to line up around the block for her, does she? And I know that she cares about you a lot…when Eric first came in she was actually hostile towards him. And you know she's never like that with anybody."

"They seem to get along fine now," Jack countered.

"Yeah, really well." Bobby said pointedly.

Jack looked up in alarm. "Are you saying…Eric and Sue—"

Bobby shook his head. "Naw, I don't think so. More on his part than hers but you can tell they've got some chemistry going. Look, he might have taken your place at your desk but I don't think he has in her heart."

Jack took in a deep breath. "I figured this would be easy, you know. If I had to choose between my old life and my new one."

Bobby let out a deep sigh and took in a long sip of his drink. "Don't go telling anybody this but I've been hearing things going on at the bureau. It seems like Eric's been offered a position in Organized Crime that he's highly considering about accepting. And the guy who tried to off you? Mintayga…we busted his entire operation a year ago so there's no more threat to your life…So then you'd be able to have your old job back…"

Jack's eyes lit up instantly at the thought but then he stopped in contemplation. "But then I might have to break up with Sue…or…something like that."

"Right…or you can take the job in O.C. and Eric stays where he is," Bobby offered. "What do you say, Jack? Are you ready to be Special Agent Hudson again?"

Jack took in a deep breath and sighed wistfully, "I wish I knew."

Bobby looked at Jack sympathetically and then his cell phone rang. "Manning. No, they didn't. Jack said she might be at the hotel pool or something…You did?…I see…I'll let him know." He clicked off the phone and looked at Jack reluctantly.

Jack looked at Bobby in alarm. "What is it?"


	11. Chapter 10 The Harder They Fall

**Chapter 10 – The Harder they Fall**

Sylvia opened her eyes groggily, her head pounding with an even worse headache than her worst possible hangover. Her body felt sore and when she tried to move, she realized her hands were bound tightly. But that wasn't the only thing hindering her movement. Sitting next to her were two rather virile looking men, stoic looks on their faces. She was sitting in a car with tinted windows, sandwiched between two of Sam's bodyguards.

"You're awake," one of them replied. "Good." He reached over and cut the duct tape that bound her hands and then opened the car door, pulling her out. "Don't do anything stupid," he whispered into her ear and forced her to walk along the sidewalk. He walked in front of her while the other walked behind her.

She moved slowly and cautiously and stuffed her hands deep into her pockets, hoping to search for something that might be of use to her. Then again, she knew a woman of her stature would have trouble taking on Sam's entourage, no matter what kind of weapon she might have. Of course, she found none except for a silk scarf that she had stuffed in her pocket. Maybe she could strangle them with it? She shook the foolish thought of her head and bound it tightly in her fist. The man in front of her stopped outside of a flower shop and as quickly as she could, she placed the scarf in one of the plants outside by the door, praying that the man behind her didn't notice. He merely pushed her inside, telling her to move faster. The shop was abandoned and she followed the men to the back room where a scared looking couple sat there and a familiar face sitting across from them while two more heavies stood there, guns in their hands, aimed at the couple.

"Leanne!" Patsy replied with unsettling enthusiasm. "It's been too long."

* * *

Jack paced around the empty hotel room uneasily as the agents gathered around trying to find any indication of where Sylvia might be. He had already tried her cell phones multiple times without getting any answer. There weren't any signs of a struggle so it might have been possible that she just walked out on her own without telling anyone. Confining her to a hotel room for weeks wasn't exactly something that was her cup of tea so maybe she finally had enough and just decided to walk out on her own and he was wearing a hole in the hotel carpet for no good reason at all.

"We checked with hotel security," Myles explained once he entered the room. "Nobody really interesting except for that one guest who appeared to be a mime."

"Think that mime might have taken Sylvia somewhere and forced her to join his life of debauchery?" Bobby asked.

"Guys, this isn't helping," Jack spat at them to their surprise.

"We're on the 5th floor, scaling the side of the building isn't completely out the question," Tara explained.

Sue nodded. "Especially from the 3rd floor patio and swimming pool."

Myles shrugged. "Well, maybe she just snuck out on her own. She didn't exactly take the idea of staying cooped up in here too warmly."

The team sat silently in contemplation unsure of what the wisest next move would be. Sending out a frantic search team would be too over excessive if all she did was go out for a sandwich, but it wasn't as if she wasn't without enemies with very useful resources that could have taken her. A muffled beeping from the next room broke their concentration.

"What is that?" Bobby asked.

Jack stood up. "It's my cell phone…from Boston. I completely forgot I had it." He ran over to his room and pulled it out from his briefcase. "It says I have a new e-mail…it's from Sylvia."

Tara took the phone and started typing away at her laptop and pulled the e-mail onto the screen. "Trevor, I'm sorry that I got you involved but I can't do this anymore. I don't want to be brought back into that life and all of the memories are just too painful. I just want to disappear, please don't try to look for me. Sylvia." Tara typed away at her laptop for a moment and then spoke up. "It was e-mailed from a Web café near Agincourt."

Sue noticed Jack sitting at the dining table looking lost in his own thoughts, staring at something he held in his hand. She walked over to him and put an arm on his shoulder and sat across from him, concerned.

"This was from her birthday," Jack explained handing her the photograph. Sylvia wore a deep green dress, her hair curled and pinned back '40s style with a large flower by her ear and a colourful silk scarf wrapped around her neck with a genuinely bright smile on her face. Jack sat beside her with his arm around her shoulders, his smile equally as wide. "I gave her that scarf…"

"You're really worried about her…" Sue stated more than she asked.

"She's tough," Jack explained. "I've never had to worry about her before…"

"That doesn't stop you though, does it?" Sue replied. Jack sighed lightly and Sue reached over and took his hand into hers. "We'll find her. Have faith."

"She didn't send that e-mail," Jack was resolute. "She hates calling me Trevor."

* * *

Bobby pulled the car alongside the curb to the web café and exited the car followed by Myles and D. Eric pulled up right behind them and was ready to enter the web café when he noticed Jack trailing behind.

"What do you think you're doing?" Eric demanded.

"Finding out what's going on." Jack stated matter-of-factly.

Eric took in a deep breath, "I know you've done this before, Jack. But you're not an agent…not in this instance anyway."

"I want to know what's going on. I can handle it." Jack retorted.

"I'm not doubting that. But it's not your job, not now." Eric chastised and entered the web café. Jack knew that if he followed suit he might be in danger of jeopardizing the case since he wasn't armed or suited for the job. He peered through the windows of the web café but couldn't really see anything so he proceeded to pace around the outside impatiently. Feeling restless, he leaned up against the hood of the car impatiently, feeling tortured by the ticking seconds that passed him by. The wind picked up and a flash of colour from across the street caught his eye. Crossing over carefully to the other side of the road, he stopped outside of a flower shop and noticed something sticking out from one of the potted plants by the door. He reached over and picked it up carefully. It was Sylvia's scarf. He looked up at the flower shop worriedly and peered in through the doors when an elderly woman walked over and flipped the 'Open' sign to 'Closed' and Jack seized the time to open the door before she could lock it.

"We're closed." The woman spat anxiously.

"I'm sorry, but I'm looking for a friend of mine." Jack pleaded.

"Nobody's here except me and we're closing. Good bye," the woman pressed on and pulled the door closed but Jack proved to be stronger and kept the door open.

"Listen, I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important. She might be in trouble. This belongs to her," he explained as patiently as he could, holding up the scarf. "Her name's Sylvia…she's in her late 20's, Asian…a little shorter than you."

From the back room, Sylvia peered through to the front hoping to get a glimpse of who it was at the door and her eyes widened when she heard Jack's voice. She looked over at Patsy and the entourage but they remain unmoved. One of the men had their gun pointed directly at the head of the storekeeper's husband who was crumbling underneath the pressure and fear. Patsy stood up and put her hands in the air in frustration.

"Goodness, go get rid him," Patsy whined. Sylvia looked to her expectantly and Patsy sighed. "You're smart, Leanne. Didn't you go to medical school? Get rid of him or they will," she gestured to the entourage.

Sylvia took in a deep breath and walked out of the backroom towards the entrance. The shop keeper looked at her sheepishly and expectantly then backed away, shaking. "Looking for me?"

Jack's eyes lit up. "Sylvia! Are you okay?"

Sylvia forced a smile on her lips. "Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well you kind of just vanished from the hotel without telling anyone." Jack answered matter-of-factly.

"I know," Sylvia replied quickly. "I just wanted to get some air."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Is everything okay? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see some friends. You know, I wasn't really happy being cooped up in that hotel all day long," She answered as good-naturedly as she could.

"Well, let me in, I'd love to meet them," Jack responded.

"That's not a good idea," Sylvia said hurriedly.

"Sylvia…" Jack's voice softened. "Let me in."

Sylvia looked over at the shopkeeper who was having trouble keeping it together. Her eyes darted in panic to her husband being held at gunpoint. Sylvia took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, pained before turning to Jack once again, her expression cold and steely. "So it's okay for me to be kept in the dark about your life but with my life, hey, it's open season."

Jack was taken aback by the vicious tone in her voice. "What?"

"I don't know why I even bothered trying to be honest with you," Sylvia continued. "I mean our whole entire relationship is obviously based on a lie anyway. I mean, what's with all of this fake concern? Aren't you supposed to be in love with Sue?"

Jack scoffed in disbelief. "What are you—"

"Then again, you have some practice at lying haven't you? So I'm sure you can spin another pathetic lie about where you've been. Now if you'll excuse me…"

Jack stepped back a little shaken as Sylvia slammed the door in his face and the storekeeper went to lock it, pulling the curtains down. Sylvia gasped for air as soon as she shut the door. Blinking away the tears, she resumed a steely expression on her face and slowly made her way back to the back room with the store owner. When they entered the back room, the store owner fell into her husband's arms and they held one another as they sobbed quietly.

"Brava," Patsy said, clapping her hands together. "You always were a master manipulator, now weren't you?"

"Let them go…" Sylvia said.

Another large man in a dark suit entered from the back entrance of the store. "Miss Goss, the van is ready."

Patsy stood up. "I have every intention of doing that, it's you we want," two of the guards pulled Sylvia to her feet roughly and exited the store through the back entrance. "Thank you for your cooperation Mr. And Mrs. Johnson, I'm sure Sam will be more than happy to give you an extension on your loan."


	12. Chapter 11 Flowers for Sale

**Author's Note:** Once again, thanks to everybody who's been reading and reviewing. Hopefully the pace isn't going too slow or too fast for you guys. I'm reeaallllyyyyy flattered you guys are supporting this fic. So, what do you guys think? Should Jack be with Sue or Sylvia? Hmmm...**  
**

**Chapter 11 – Flowers for Sale**

"I don't see what the problem is," Eric stated. "You said you talked to her, she didn't seem to be under duress and she didn't ask for help in anyway."

"But something is wrong, I know it," Jack protested.

"Did she say or do something suspicious that made you think that?" Sue asked.

Jack sighed. "Nothing in particular…she was just…mean."

Myles sighed, resigned. "Jack, the AUSA said that the last time they talked, she had been pretty insistent on not testifying in court. So, maybe she had a few choice words for you because she truly did want to be left alone."

D piped up. "If she doesn't testify we're not going to be able to get anything on Sam and we're probably not going to be able to convict the Fisherman with attempting to kill her or get an indictment on Boon's murder. He's already facing attempted murder of a Federal Officer so I doubt he's going to feel the need to give us any more details. The AUSA isn't feeling generous enough to lighten his sentence."

"What about all of the alleged evidence that Boon was collecting against Sam?" Sue asked.

"There was nothing there when we got there …we only found these," Bobby explained picking up the pictures of Sam and Patsy.

"Um…Jack?" Tara piped up from looking over a couple of files on her computer. "What was the name of the flower shop you talked to her at?"

"It was something like…Johnson's Boutique? Or something like that."

"Well…this is interesting," Tara remarked typing away on her computer. "Johnson's Boutique is run by a couple named Peter and Shelly Johnson. Apparently they were drowning in debt around a month ago then magically, one day, they were all taken care of."

"The Shens?" Myles said. "Nice to see they like helping out the local businesses."

"Yeah at a 200 interest rate," Bobby responded. "So they took her there…maybe as a stop point to deflect any attention or suspicion."

"Well we have to go back there," Jack replied. "Try to find something, anything."

"We're going, you're not." Eric explained firmly.

"I don't think so," Jack shot back.

"Look, as of now you're just a civilian and you have absolutely no authority or clearance to go in so just sit tight and let us do our jobs, okay?" Eric argued.

Jack looked to the rest of the members for support, his former co-workers, his friends who would usually back him up in times like this. But they merely looked at him sheepishly and followed Eric out of the bullpen. The moment of betrayal was only fleeting. Deep down he knew that they couldn't break the rules. It was true, he wasn't an agent anymore and he had no authority to go in and they could be held liable should something happen to him. Jack Hudson was often passionate about the cases he got when he worked for the surveillance unit, and he would do anything to solve a case, as long as they didn't break any rules. But Jack Hudson had changed over the last three years. He grabbed his coat and left the building.

* * *

The surveillance team parked an unmarked van a couple of blocks up the street from the flower shop and sent three teams to scout the flower shop. One team went around the back while another patrolled the main road for signs of the Shens while another tried to get in contact with the owners. Sue and Tara manned the surveillances from inside the van through various security screens.

"It doesn't look like there's any sign of the Shens in the area," Tara explained. "They probably hot-footed to another location already."

Lucy sat next to Sue in the van and looked at her concerned. "Are you okay?" she signed to her.

Sue blinked. "Sure," she signed back. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Does it bother you?" Lucy replied. "That Jack is showing all of this concern for another woman?"

Sue gave her a comforting smile and shook her head. "No…it's one of the things I…love about him," she signed slowly in response.

"Things are going to be pretty weird when this is all over, isn't it?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Sue took in a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face. "But weird has always been the basis of my relationship with Jack anyways."

A knock came from the van and Levi trotted over to the door of the van, scratching against the door. Tara walked over and opened it, letting somebody in.

"A little later than we were expecting." Tara said as she walked back into the van.

"Sorry, traffic was a little tighter than I expected." Jack replied and sat down in front of the cameras.

"So much for by-the-book," Sue said with sly grin.

"You know I do whatever I can do to get a case solved," Jack answered with a smile.

"Yeah," Sue replied. "Even more so when your heart's involved." Jack turned to Sue and gave her a small smile, which she returned. "It's funny…I'm pretty sure if your positions were switched, you would have said the exact same thing to Eric that he did to you."

"I know," Jack said with a dry grin. "But I couldn't just sit there twiddling my thumbs could I?"

* * *

"We didn't know what kind of people we were getting ourselves caught up with," the shopkeeper, Shelly Johnson explained, pacing around the store nervously. "We didn't know they were so violent…we just knew they could help solve our financial problems." Her husband, Peter, walked over and pulled her into a tight and comforting hug as she dissolved into sobs.

"Do you guys know anything about what they were planning on doing with that woman they brought in?" Bobby asked.

Peter shook his head. "No…but they took her away maybe half an hour ago with one of our vans…"

"Your vans, are they equipped with anti-theft systems?" Myles inquired.

Peter nodded. "If you can get the company to activate them then you can find out where they are."

"Tara? Lucy?" Bobby said into his microphone.

"I'm on it," Tara replied from the van and started typing away on her computer while Lucy made a phone call. Soon enough a map appeared on the screen of Tara's laptop with a red dot showing the location of the van. "It's parked near the harbor of 47th and Quentin."

* * *

Bobby, Myles, D and Eric carefully approached the van to make sure that there wasn't anybody in it while the rest of the team kept a lookout on the area for any signs of Sam's posse. Eric and Myles pried open the back of the van and their face fell when they found it completely empty. Myles jumped into the van and knelt down, running his finger on a stain in the middle.

"It's blood…looks fresh," Myles said quietly. His eyes wandered over to the lake aimlessly, which didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the team. "You think maybe we should—"

"No," Sue cut him off. "There's a chance she might still be alive…just injured." She looked to Jack concerned who gave her a grateful but forced smile.


	13. Chapter 12 Don't Make it Personal

**AN: **Not a huge update today...but this definitely has some action in it, for those who enjoy it. Once again, please read and review and thanks once again to everybody who's been supporting this story! **  
**

**Chapter 12 – Don't Make it Personal**

Sue and Jack had exited the van and joined the rest of the squad to try to find anything they could about where the Shens might have taken Sylvia, trying their best to be optimistic about her whereabouts…and whether or not she was still alive. Myles and Eric arrived back from doing a scout of the local area with disappointed looks on their faces.

"Either the locals have absolutely no idea who we're talking about or they've been hit with a severe case of amnesia," Myles said gloomily.

"Yeah, that tends to happen when you have gangs running the area." Bobby replied.

From a distance, a man wearing neatly pressed black suit started walking towards the parking lot a box of cleaning supplies in hand. As he got closer he noticed the crowd of agents gathered around the van and instinctively reached for his gun, firing it in their direction.

"Look out!" Eric replied and pulled Sue away from the range of fire behind the van. Eric fell back onto the ground, having caught a bullet in his shoulder.

"Eric!" Sue rushed to his side.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Eric grunted. "The vest caught it."

The assailant soon started to run in the other direction away from the scene. Jack took the distraction and reached for Eric's gun running off after the man.

"Hey, Jack!" Bobby called after him and followed suit.

The man ran as fast as he could down the street in the opposite direction while Jack gave chase. Eventually, he caught up to him, his years of F.B.I. training obviously haven't left him yet. He tackled the man to the ground, holding him down by the neck and pointing the gun in his face.

"Where is she?" He demanded. Bobby finally caught up to them and stood behind them, unmoving. The man tried to sit up and struggled from under his grip but Jack merely pushed him back onto the ground effortlessly. Bobby witnessed this and almost grimaced. "Where is she?" He repeated.

The man hesitated; gasping for air but eventually gave in. "The Lotus Club. They're still closed from the explosions."

Jack pushed the man back against the ground, standing up and running towards the club. Bobby pinned the man back down before he could make his escape. "Jack!" he called out after his friend.

"Take care of him!" Jack called behind him without stopping.

* * *

She had to make sure her eyes were actually open when she opened them. The last thing she remembered was getting into the flower van before meeting complete darkness. It was dark all around her and she was lying down on objects with uncomfortable edges stuffed all around her tightly. She banged on the side of her confined prison and tried to find a way out of it to no avail.

"Oh, Leanne," she heard a female voice from the outside reply. "You were always a feisty one, but you should know that it always gets you into trouble."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sylvia cried.

"Doing what we should have done a long time ago," a male voice replied. "If we knew it was going to be this easy we never would have paid that useless twit to do the job for us."

"Sam," Sylvia spat. "I'm surprised you're here. You usually have one of your monkeys doing your dirty work so you don't get your suit stained."

"Oh, but this," Sam said mockingly. "This, I have been waiting for, for 30 years. I would not miss this."

"You're way in over your head," Sylvia yelled. "They're going to find me."

Patsy smirked devilishly. "Of course they will." She smirked as she poured gasoline all around the freezer they had stuffed her in along with all of the evidence Boon had collected over the years.

"You know, Leanne? Or…Sylvia, this really does make me sad to do this." Patsy replied as she paced around the freezer playing with the top of her lighter. "You really were like the sister I never had."

From inside the freezer Sylvia panted, out of breath from anxiety and her struggles. Patsy continued. "We could have been really good friends, you know? We had so much in common…all you had to do was leave Boon alone and everything would have been perfect," Patsy sang. "Well, except for the fact that the plan was to kill you right from the get-go."

"What hurts more, Patsy?" Sylvia called out from inside, her voice still very composed and calm. "The fact that he loved me or the fact that he didn't love you at all?"

Patsy kicked the side of the freezer and the contents of the freezer fell and jabbed Sylvia in the gut. She winced in pain from the inside but managed to suppress the yelp that formed in her throat. "You've always had a problem of saying the wrong things at the worst possible times."

"This is nothing personal, Leanne. Well I guess in a way it is," Sam piped in. "It's just too bad you were born into the wrong family. You could have made a great member of the Shens."

Patsy grinned wide. "Don't worry, Syl-vi-a," she pronounced every single syllable when she said her name. "You'll be with Boon, just where you always wanted to be." Sam and Patsy walked away from the freezer and when they were a safe distance away. Patsy lit the lighter when they heard a gun cock from behind them. They spun around and came face to face with Jack holding a gun to them.

"Don't move."

Sam smirked. "And they say chivalry is dead…Boys?" Seemingly out of nowhere a suited entourage emerged with their guns pointing directly at Jack. "I seem to have a habit of getting rid of your boyfriends, Leanne."

Patsy smiled threw the lighter towards the freezer watched in glee as flames around the freezer ignited into a large blaze. Sam walked over to Patsy, putting an arm around her and giving her deep kiss before exiting through the back entrance of the club, leaving Jack to look at the blaze helplessly, the entourage with their guns locked on him.

* * *

Vans and squad cars were on their way to the Lotus nightclub, which was boarded up from the damage.

"What do you mean the F.B.I.'s here?" Sam demanded.

"They're here…they followed the van…there's a whole squad." His driver explained helplessly.

"Well then, I guess you better drive really fast then," Patsy shot back at him and he nodded, starting the car and taking off down the street.

The F.B.I. team arrived at the club and carefully dispersed themselves around the premises. Sam's entourage who were waiting outside the club as well saw this and exited their cars, loading their guns and began to shoot at them. One of the units stopped to fend off the assailants and eventually Eric's team managed to find their way into the club, forcing the bodyguards inside the club with their guns aimed at Jack to back down. As soon as he was safe, Jack tried to move towards the fire but the blaze came into contact with more gasoline and formed a powerful blast that forced him to step back from the heat.

As Sam and Patsy's car sped down the street, breaking all of the speed limits imaginable, a car making a left turn from an intersection collided head on with their car, forcing it to spin out of control onto the sidewalk. Sam and Patsy exited the car attempting to make a run for it before running smack dab into Bobby and his squad.

"Sam Long, just the man we've been looking for." He said and pushed him against the wall to arrest him.

Inside the freezer, Sylvia gasped for air as the smoke and heat overwhelmed the freezer. She eventually felt her consciousness slipping away. Jack looked up at the ceilings and noticed that the piping for the building was visible due to the explosion and he prayed that they were still working. He pulled Eric's gun away from him and used the end of it to bang against the piping. The pipe finally burst, causing water to blast everywhere and eventually taming the fire.

"I've got to let you stop stealing my guns," Eric replied dryly.

Once the fires were extinguished, Jack and Eric, now both dripping wet, raced over to the freezer and lifted the lid. Inside, Sylvia was lying there unconscious amidst the pile of evidence against Sam that Dylan Boon had collected. Jack reached in and took her out gently. The coldness of the water woke her up and she opened her eyes abruptly, gasping and coughing for air.

"Jack?" She choked out and shivered from the cold water.

Jack nodded and smiled. "It's me. You're all right." He brushed some wet hair that clung to her face and held her. "It's over."

* * *

Jack held Sylvia's hand as she was loaded onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. More F.B.I. cars, ambulances and fire cars pulled onto the scene. Sue and Levi anxiously pushed through all of the crowd and business.

"Jack?" Sue called out anxiously.

Jack turned around and ran to her who pulled him into a hug. "Are you all right?" She asked. "I was so worried."

Jack nodded and returned the hug with the same enthusiasm. "I'm fine."

Bobby came up to them, patting Jack on the back. "Nice to see you haven't lost any of your game."

Myles, D, Eric, Tara and Lucy joined them. "Not that we had any doubts of course," Myles piped in.

"Yeah, you did manage to take Eric's gun away from him, twice." Tara added.

"I was down on the ground that one time!" Eric defended himself.

"Which makes that second time even worse, if you think about it." D answered.

The group burst into laughter, something they hadn't been able to share these past couple of days. Jack kept an arm around Sue as the group conversed and joked with one another, the team's genuine affection for one another, despite all of the seriousness that surrounded them with each case, apparent to everybody around them.

As she was loaded onto the ambulance, Sylvia looked on and suppressed that wistful sigh that formed inside of her. She was staring at a picture that she knew she wasn't a part of.


	14. Chapter 13 Tripping Down Memory Lane

**Author's Note:** Darn! I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated. My apologies to people who were looking forward to another chapter if you guys exist, hah! But work has been getting busy and with classes and midterms coming up, I haven't been able to update as much as I would have liked. For those of you who have been reviewing, thank you so much! For those of you who have been reading and have ben loyally following this story, my gratitude cannot be expressed in words. Here's another two chapters to hold you off for a bit. I'll hopefully be able to update more regularly...fingers crossed. Thanks again to everybody who's been reading!

**Disclaimer:** There's no way that I could have possibly thought up these wonderful characters myself. They belong to who they belong to and the original characters belong to me. So if you would like to use them for whatever odd unthinkable reason, permission is necessary.

**Chapter 13 – Tripping Down Memory Lane**

"I saw parts of the license plate," Sue explained. "And what make the car was."

The defense attorney for the Fisherman, a.k.a. Don Hanes nodded inquisitively and paced around the front of the courtroom and continued his cross-examination. "You and Agent Hudson were coming back from work when this occurred?"

"From dinner. We went to get dinner after work together and we were on our way home." Sue clarified.

"Oh…dinner. Just the two of you?" The defense attorney inquired.

"Yes, we were the only ones."

"And do you guys often have dinner alone?"

"Objection," the AUSA stood up. "I fail to see the relevance with this line of questioning."

The judge looked up slightly exasperated. "Approach the bench counselors,"

The AUSA and the defense attorney walked over to the podium the judge sat on while the judge put his hand over the microphone.

"Your honour," the defense attorney began. "I'm merely trying to establish whether or not Agent Thomas' personal involvement with the case will have any bearing on her testimony and her eagerness to see somebody, anybody, prosecuted for this crime."

"Your honor, that's ridiculous," the AUSA responded. "Agent Thomas and Agent Hudson were co-workers and yes, personal friends so of course she will have some sort of personal investment in this case. However, nothing in her testimony so far as indicated that she would be eager to implicate Mr. Hanes for the crime asides from the evidence already presented."

"I agree," the judge replied. "Your client is the one trial, counselor, not Agent Thomas' feelings," he took his hand off the microphone and cleared his throat. "Step back."

The defense attorney sighed and turned back to Sue. "Asides from the car, did you see anything else that would indicate it was in fact my client who shot Agent Hudson? Did you see his face or any other distinguishing features?"

Sue paused and spoke up hesitantly. "No," she finally replied.

"Thank you, no more questions." The defense attorney rested.

"You may step down," the judge told Sue.

She looked at the AUSA expectantly and he gave her a reassuring nod before stepping down.

Jack took in a deep breath and closed his eyes before retelling his version of events. An event that changed his life, and arguably, ended it. He opened his eyes after a beat and began telling the court about going to dinner with Sue after work and then heading home. His version wasn't all that different from the ones that had been printed in every local paper and reported on the news channels. It even made the front page headline for the Post. The first shot got him in the shoulder and he was brought down to his knees. Sue couldn't hear the shot but Levi ran up to her and by the time he got her attention, the second shot had already been fired, the last one potentially fatal. He didn't even react to the pain, all he thought about was getting her out of range, when he was in fact the target.

It was odd for him, sitting here and recounting such a significant event in his life. It felt like it wasn't even him, and that he was reliving a television show he saw about someone else entirely. All of the emotions he felt at that time seemed second-hand and he was desensitized from that day entirely, recalling it with ease.

The defense attorney stepped up to begin his cross-examination. Luckily for Jack Hudson, his law experience allowed him to be able to remember how witnesses should carry themselves during cross-examination. Eye contact, confident, standing firm, straight-forward answers.

"You said that you didn't see the man's face," the defense attorney said. "How can you be so sure it was in fact my client?"

"The ballistics report was a match, the vehicle investigation showed a positive link—"

"Your honor, I ask that his last statement be stricken. These areas are not things he is an expert at or has first-hand experience with." The defense attorney objected.

"So stricken," the judge complied. "The jury will disregard the last statement."

"I'll ask you again, Mr. Hudson. Do you have any other proof that makes you so sure it was in fact my client who tried to kill you?"

"Well," Jack began. "He sure did look surprised to see me during the grand jury testimony. I hardly think he would be so shocked to see someone he's never met before."

"Your honor, would you please instruct the witness to answer my question?"

The judge turned to Jack. "Mr. Hudson, you're well versed in law yourself, please just answer the question."

Jack took in a deep breath. "That man shot me and took my life away from me. Away from my friends and my family. That's what I know for sure. He did it not because he knew me and had a personal vendetta against me but because somebody waved some cash in his face. _That_ is what I know for sure."

The defense attorney gave Jack a glare and then turned to the judge. "No more questions."

* * *

Sylvia placed a bouquet of flowers down and sat down in front of the tombstone, her legs tucked underneath her comfortably. A band-aid was on her forehead, a reminder of the ordeal she went through. She stared at the gray and white marble for a moment before letting out a short sigh.

"So…I'm sorry it took me so long for me to come and see you, Dylan," she said. "But…I hope you understand. I hope you know that it's nothing against you or anything. It's just…I didn't think I could ever make it on my own, you know? Without you always being there to take care of me. But I did, I really did. And I was so proud of myself, I was so happy. I think you would have liked it too. I mean, it's not as exciting as the old life but…it's real. It's special." She let out a dry chuckle. "You were stupid enough to fall in love with me and I was probably the worst thing that could have happened to you. I have to be honest with you though, and I think you knew…I was way too young to know whether or not I was in love with you. But I did love you nonetheless. You cared about me when you didn't have to…and it takes a real special person to do that. I don't want you to worry about me though, I mean I get to do what I've always wanted to do…I've got great friends. Steve…Kristen….and Jack. I've always wondered why you told me to go to Hartbridge but I think now I know…" Tears started to swell in her eyes but she wiped them back. "Anyways…I feel kind of silly talking to a head stone so…" she leaned forward and kissed the top of it gently. "Goodbye Dylan."

Jack approached the grave tentatively, carrying a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Sylvia looked up and saw him, giving him a small smile, which he returned. He offered his hand and helped her off of the ground while placing the bouquet in front of the head stone. The two stepped back and looked at the grave silently for a while.

Sylvia stuffed her hands deep into her coat pockets. "Thanks."

Jack nodded by way of response and gave her a glance before looking back at the grave. "Do you miss him?"

Sylvia took in a deep breath and looked towards the sky. "You know how there's that person in your life that sets you in the direction that's pretty much the rest of your life? You miss them when they end up not being part of that but…you kind of realize that you can either dwell on it or use it to make yourself stronger."

"Ah," Jack nodded inquisitively. "I can't imagine you needing to be stronger though."

Sylvia smiled a wry smile. "I don't suppose you had a head stone or anything." The two started walking out of the graveyard.

"Nah," Jack answered. "I believe I was cremated and my ashes scattered over the sea."

"How…romantic." Sylvia mused.

"And less costly too," Jack said with a dry chuckle. "The defense for Don Hanes called the AUSA this afternoon. It looks like he wants to make a deal."

Sylvia nodded slowly. "Justice is served then."

"I hope," Jack nodded and then cleared his throat. "So…what are your plans now?"

Sue exited from the car waiting for them at the entrance and walked towards them smiling. "Are you ready to go?"

Sylvia nodded. "Right now, Sue here is going to help me pick out an outfit for tonight."

Jack blinked in confusion. "What's going on tonight?"

"I was asked to dinner," Sylvia smiled a mischievous smile and piled into the car leaving Jack to look after her in confusion.

Sue picked up on this and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Congressman Pratner and her father were close colleagues, he asked her to attend a charity fundraiser he's holding to get to know her better."

Jack felt a little bit of a relief but did his best to show it. "Oh, well then. I hope you guys have fun on your shopping trip."

Sue smiled a small smile and they stared at one another expectantly before Sue finally gave him a small wave and made her way back to the car. As the car pulled away, Bobby walked towards Jack and watched them drive away.

"You're not worried about this?" Bobby asked.

"Worried about what?"

"That they might spend the time gossiping about you?" He teased.

"They wouldn't do that," Jack said confidently. "Would they?"

Bobby let out a dry chuckle and pulled Jack towards the car that was waiting for them. "For your sake, I hope not, Sparky. You might go from having two girlfriends to having none."


	15. Chapter 14 Hear Me Out

**Chapter 14 – Hear Me Out**

Sue and Sylvia sat by the window in a comfortable little bistro downtown, certainly more than a little rundown from their shopping trip. They placed their orders with the waitress and sat back, taking this down time to finally relax.

"Thanks for coming along with me," Sylvia piped up. "It's been awhile since I've done some retail damage in this area."

Sue smiled. "It was my pleasure. Although I kind of wish you didn't ask me because I think my credit card is going to be mad at me for a little while," she replied with a chuckle.

"He'll get over it," Sylvia answered, smiling. Their coffees arrived. "So…how do you like working for the F.B.I.?"

Sue took a sip of her coffee thoughtfully and placed it down. "It's hard sometimes. Seeing the suffering some people go through but it's very rewarding too, being able to help people. I'm sure you know what that's like, being a doctor."

Sylvia nodded. "Yeah…I love it. The hours are long and arduous but…at the end of the day it's great…knowing that you're making a difference."

"How did you get into it? Did you always know you wanted to do it?" Sue inquired.

Sylvia stared thoughtfully for a moment. "I don't know really…I kind of got into it by accident. I did pretty well in science courses during high school. Dylan always said he could picture me in a lab coat commandeering my own team of nurses," she answered with a fond smile. "I don't know, maybe I just wanted to make up for all of the awful things I did as a kid."

Sue gave her a sympathetic smile. "You have a good heart, Sylvia. I can see that." Sylvia smiled a small smile and thanked her. "It puts my mind to rest," she explained. "Knowing that Jack was taken care of these past few years."

"Well, I can't take all the credit. I've only known him for the past year." Sylvia explained.

"A lot can change in a year…" Sue said wistfully.

Sylvia cleared her throat after taking a long sip of her coffee. "Is he different?" Sue looked at her poignantly. "Is he different from when you knew him?"

Sue paused thoughtfully for a moment and then smiled sadly. "Yes…of course but…maybe not in a bad way."

* * *

Bobby opened the door and let Sue into his apartment where he and Jack were getting ready for their 'guys-night-out'. Jack had been staying over at Bobby's place during the trial so the F.B.I. wouldn't have to keep on footing another hotel bill.

"Cinderella get to the ball all right?" Bobby asked Sue as he let her in.

"Yes, although her carriage looked a lot more like a limo than a pumpkin," Sue teased. "I hope you guys don't mind me crashing your guys-night-out."

"It's no problem," Jack jumped in. "It's nice to have a challenge on the pool table once in awhile."

Sue beamed brightly and Bobby excused himself to his room. "I just got to get some more stuff. You guys, sit, chat." He encouraged and bounded off to his room.

Jack smiled tightly at Bobby and then cleared his throat, turning to Sue where she stood there a little uncomfortably. "Uh…I invited Sylvia to join us afterwards…if that's all right?" Sue finally broke the silence.

"Sure, yeah, that's cool." Jack replied and sat down on the couch while Sue sat across from him. "So…did you guys have fun on your shopping trip?"

Sue nodded. "Yes, it was fun…and also very therapeutic. Retail therapy isn't just a myth," she answered with a smile.

"Did you guys…you know have lots to talk about?" Jack tread the topic very carefully, not wanting to seem nosy but of course Sue was too smart for her own good.

She smiled confidently. "You know I don't like to gossip," she teased. "Let's just say we never ran out of things to talk about, certainly."

Jack wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. "Oh…that's a good thing right?"

"Depends on who you are," Sue said mysteriously.

Jack chuckled. "Always keeping me on my toes. You guys certainly have that in common."

Sue smiled a bittersweet smile. "She has a good heart. Knowing that you were taken care of these past few years really puts my mind at ease."

"Well, she's a doctor. She has to take care of people," Jack joked. "And what about you?"

"I'm a F.B.I. agent, Jack, not that much has changed," she teased which brought a smile to Jack's face. "I've survived. At the beginning I didn't think I would…but I was blessed to have the rest of the team for support. I guess it's true what they say…wherever you are it really are your friends that make your world." To that Levi let out a whimper and stood up, Sue gave him a look, "No, I don't just mean human friends," Levi barked happily.

Jack smiled. "It's nice to see some things haven't changed."

Sue's smile faded a little and she looked down at her lap then back up. "But…a lot of things have haven't they?" Jack's smile disappeared and he looked at her with concern. "Look…Jack. I don't know what you plan on doing when this is all over. But…if you choose to stay I want it to be because you actually want to stay and not because…of some other reason."

Jack looked at Sue expectantly. "What other reason could there be?"

"Well um, you know if other people pressured you into it…or something," Sue quickly explained. She took in a deep breath. "You probably heard from Bobby that…David and I got back together for a little bit right?"

Jack nodded. "He mentioned it."

"Right…he probably didn't mention that…while we were back together he um…proposed."

Jack's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh…wow. That's…big."

"You can probably guess, I didn't say yes." Sue said matter-of-factly.

"I suppose you're going to tell me why?"

Sue stared wistfully at the carpet for a moment. "Because…I loved him but…it wasn't complete. Because I guess a part of my heart always belonged with you," she said finally. "And I thought when you came back you would either have to give that part back or take the rest of it." She paused for a moment.

"Sue…look," Jack began but Sue cut him off.

"No wait…I'm not finished," She took in a deep breath. "Jack…I love you, I always have," for that one moment Jack felt his heart stop but then Sue continued. "I always will too. But I don't know if that's _that_ kind of love, yet…you know? I broke up with David not because I didn't want to marry him but…because I really didn't want to marry anybody. It just came at the wrong time."

Jack gave her a solemn nod and looked her in the eye. "Would you guys still be together if he hadn't?"

"It was all or nothing with him…I was willing to wait and see whether or not my feelings would change, so, maybe…" Sue explained with a fallen face. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that…I know we talked about not missing out on our chance but I want you to know if that if you do choose to stay…it might not exactly live up to your expectations."

Jack smiled a sad smile. "You know what my expectations are?"

Sue backpedaled a bit. "No…I just mean…I just want to know what you think, that's all."

Jack drew in a deep breath. "I think…Bobby's been in there for a really long time."

"Jack, I'm serious." Sue chided him.

"I know you are, but to tell you the truth, you know as much about what's going to happen after all of this is over as I do," Jack explained. He smiled a genuine smile at her. "One step at a time right?"

Sue broke into a reluctant smile and nodded slowly in agreement. "Right."


	16. Chapter 15 Fairy Godmother

**A/N**: Oh my goodness, it has been such a long time since I last updated this story. I apologize to people who are still readying very few of you left, I'm sure but this past year has been absolutely insanely busy for me but I'm glad I'm finally able to get back to at least updating it. Anyhoos, I just want to thank everybody who's continued to read this and hopefully you'll be patient with me as I finally get around to working on this story again.  
On another note, one of things I was really concerned with is being able to make a character that was relateable and since this is an original character, not make her too perfect/ideal or whatever. The other challenge is to remember to include every character from the show into the story but since it is such an ensemble cast, I hope you guys understand why not every character gets equal attention since this story is primarily about Jack. I hope you guys have enjoyed what I've had to offer so far and to stay tuned, there are alot of directions this story can go and hopefully you guys will continue to be interested!**  
**

**Chapter 15** – **Fairy Godmother**

The sound of the billiards breaking was almost therapeutic to Jack's ears. Sure, he had kept up with the sport while he was in Boston with his friends there, but there was something different about the way this particular set sounded. Perhaps it was the familiar air in the pub, or the fact that these sets have seen better days that gave it its unique snap. Unfortunately, even if Jack hadn't fallen behind in his practice, it seemed like neither had Bobby and Sue. The gang was playing in teams and Bobby had just sunk his fourth in a row. Myles and Dimitrius looked on with pity for Jack.

"Were you always this awful, or am I just getting you confused with someone else?" Myles asked without mercy.

"You been giving him some lessons while I've been gone?" Jack asked Sue.

Sue merely shrugged but smiled. "Nah, I think some of my talent just rubbed off on him."

"Think it'll work on me?" Jack asked with a smile.

"I guess you'll have to stick around and find out," Sue grinned. "But personally, I think you might be a lost cause."

Finally it was Jack's turn again and he went to line up his shot. Sylvia entered the pub and Sue waved her over as the boys looked on.

"Looks like Cinderella left the ball early," D remarked.

"I asked her to join us, if that's okay," Sue explained.

Jack finished up his shot and turned around just in time to come face-to-face with Sylvia in a simple black dress. Her hair was pulled back in a half ponytail, her bangs framing her face gently. "Whoa," he said under his breath.

Sylvia smiled and looked down at the pool table. "So, who's winning then?"

"We're cleaning the floor with him," Bobby piped in after Sue completed her turn before Jack had a chance to respond.

"I'm catching up!" Jack protested. He offered his pool cue to Sylvia who took it without question. "How was dinner?"

Sylvia walked over to line up her shot. "It was…fancy. The champagne even looked expensive," she explained as she sank a shot and went to make another one. "They served caviar and I've vowed never to eat it again." She sank another shot. "And they had a mini ice-sculpture Venus de Milo." The balls clicked as she sank another one. Myles, D and Bobby looked on in surprise while Jack merely smirked.

"What was the fundraiser for anyways?" Sue asked.

"Joseph Browning Hospital," she explained without stopping the game. "They're hoping to make improvements to the pediatric wing," another ball rolled into the pocket. "He found out I was a doctor and—8-ball, corner pocket… figured it would be something I would take an interest in," as soon as she finished the sentence the 8-ball rolled smoothly into the left hand corner pocket. Bobby looked on agog while D and Myles had that same look of surprise. Sylvia smirked and handed the cue back to Jack. She noticed their stares and looked at them with an arched brow. "Uh…does anybody want a drink?"

"Yeah, great"

"Absolutely"

"Drink would be fabulous" the chorus of voices rang out, overlapping one another.

Sylvia gave the trio an odd look before heading to the bar. Sue walked over next to Jack and nodded. "Well it's nice to see there's no shortage of skills in Hartbridge. Really makes me wonder though,"

"What's my secret for attracting such talented people?" Jack offered.

Sue crossed her hands over her chest. "What in the world is she doing with you," she teased but with a bright smile on her face.

Jack tried hard to suppress the chuckle but a smile managed to escape onto his lips. "I'm going to go see if she needs any help," and with a parting smile walked up next to Sylvia at the bar. "Might I say…wow," he said to her.

"Come on Jack," Sylvia replied. "You know me well enough not to doubt my pool skills," she teased.

"Huh? Oh yeah, right, of course," Jack recovered. "The dress doesn't suck either."

Sylvia smiled despite herself. "Okay, in my head that was 'you look real nice, Sylvia,'"

"It was implied," he responded.

"Oh, right," she smiled sarcastically in response.

From the pool table, Myles, D, Bobby and Sue looked on at Jack and Sylvia sitting at the bar, talking and laughing as if it was second nature to them.

"Well," Myles broke the silence. "It looks like the Fairy God-Mother certainly did a very good job." He walked to the pool table and began to set up a new game followed by D.

"Yeah," Bobby answered after they were out of ear-shot. "Maybe a little too well," him and Sue exchanged a knowing glance before Sue took in a deep breath and forced a smile on her face, walking back towards the pool table, leaving Bobby to glare at the couple at the bar, lost in thought.

Sylvia and Jack returned to the crowd and set the drinks down at the table, continuing their conversation.

"Hey," D called over to them. "You guys getting in on this game?"

"Nah, I think we'll sit this one out, D," Jack explained.

"You sure? I think I might want a crack at winning back my money," Bobby pressed.

"And our honour," Sue added with a smile.

Jack gave them a smile. "I'll give you a chance to practice first."

Sue tried best to hide her disappointment and jealousy as she stared on at the two, completely lost within their conversation. Bobby noticed this and nudged her slightly. "You all right?"

"Sure," Sue said firmly and picked up a cue to prepare her turn. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, we were thinking maybe the Fairy Godmother might be regretting she did such a job well done," Myles observed in his usual deadpan.

"Don't be silly," Sue responded quickly and turned her attention back to the pool game while keeping a lingering glance at the two laughing comfortably with one another.

* * *

Sylvia was dancing along lightly to the radio in her hotel room as she changed into her pyjamas and removed her earrings from her fancy evening out. A knock came from the door and she walked over. Peering through the peephole, she stepped back a little confused but opened the door nonetheless. 

"Bobby. What're you doing here?" Sylvia asked.

Bobby took in a deep breath. "Can we talk?" he asked as he pushed his way into the room.

"We are talking," Sylvia said dryly. She visibly stiffened as she closed the door behind him.

Bobby sat down on the couch and Sylvia sat down on the chair next to it, looking at him expectantly. Bobby spoke up after a moment of awkward silence. "You probably know what this is about."

"You want my opinion on the current state of French politics?" Sylvia suggested which prompted an arched brow from Bobby. Sylvia looked into her lap a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I know."

"I don't suppose you guys have talked about it yet…have you? What you guys planned on doing after this is all done?" Bobby inquired.

Sylvia shrugged. "No, not really. We figured we'd stay here for awhile just to relax and…we'd see what happens."

"So he hasn't told you whether or not he planned on staying here?"

Sylvia shook her head. "It hasn't come up."

"And you haven't told him you think you guys should go back to Hartbridge?"

"Even if that's what I thought," Sylvia tried to keep her tone as neutral as possible, "it's his decision to make."

"Yeah, but it's got to be confusing for him. I'm guessing he's just putting off deciding for as long as he can." Bobby stated.

"Well…if that's what he wants." Sylvia replied.

"And what about you? What do you want?" Bobby inquired.

Sylvia looked at him and swallowed, she was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with this line of questioning but managed to maintain her composure coolly.

"Your relationship with him…I'm guessing that's the confusing part for him. Otherwise I think you and I both know the decision would be pretty easy." Bobby spoke up after a moment of silence with no intention of malice.

"You can't just leave the people you care about…" Sylvia said.

"But he had to do that once already…it'd be unfair to ask him to do it again." Bobby countered.

Sylvia looked at him straight in his eyes. "You want me to leave." She stated simply.

"I want you to make this easier on him," Bobby pleaded. "And I know you know what that means. If you make this about you and Sue, you'll probably lose. Your life isn't here…it's in Hartbridge. This is where Jack's life is, where he belongs." Bobby stood up and headed towards the door. "I think it'd be the easiest thing for all of us."

Sylvia sat still where she was in her chair and crossed her arms across her chest as Bobby made his exit. "You never did like me."

Bobby stopped and turned to her. "You make him happy. I can't not like you," he replied as he departed.


End file.
